AN UNWELCOME BED-FELLOAV. 165 



On the 12th I bagged two bull wildebeests and two 

 springboks to the northward of my camp. In the even- 

 ing 1 took my pillow and " komberse," or skin blan- 

 ket, to the margin of a neighboring vley, where I had 

 observed doe blesboks drink. Of these I had not yet 

 secured a single specimen, which I was very anxious 

 to do, as they likewise carry fine horns, which, though 

 not so thick as those of the males, are more gracefully 

 formed. Shortly after I had lain down, two porcupines 

 came grunting up to me, and stood within six feet of 

 where I lay. About midnight an old wildebeest came 

 and stood within ten yards of me, but I was too lazy 

 to fire at him. All night I heard some creature mov- 

 ing in the cracked earth beneath my pillow ; but, be- 

 lieving it to be a mouse, I did not feel much concerned 

 about the matter. I could not, however, divest myself 

 of a painful feeling that it might be a snake, and wrap- 

 ped my blanket tight round my body. Awaking at an 

 early hour the following morning, I forgot to look for 

 the tenant who had spent the night beneath my pil- 

 low. No blesbok appearing, I stalked an old spring- 

 bok through the rushes and shot him. Having con- 

 cealed him, I held for camp, and dispatched two men 

 to bring home the venison and my bedding. 



While taking my breakfast I observed my men re- 

 turning, one of them carrying a very large and deadly 

 serpent. I at once felt certain it was he that I had 

 heard the previous night beneath my pillow ; and on 

 asking them where they had killed it, they replied, " In 

 your bed." On approaching the bedding, they had dis- 

 covered the horrid reptile sunning itself on the edge 

 of my blanket, until, on perceiving them, it glided 

 in beneath it. it was a large specimen of the black 

 variety of the puff adder, one of the most poisonous 



