324 Men, Mines, and Animals in South Africa. 



been very kindly sent by the agents of the com- 

 pany, to take charge of our party from here, and 

 to supply us with fresh relays of mules. At first 

 when reaching the post stations, Mr. Harber could 

 only provide an occasional fresh mule, and we toiled 

 along rather wearily and very slowly, oAving to the 

 heavy sanrl, to Machudi's Kraal or Lcnchwe, as it 

 is sometimes called. On the day l)efore reaching 

 this place, Mv. Harber and I saw from the " spider " 

 ahead of us a large snake lying in the I'oad. Out 

 we jumped, I with my revolver he with a fui'mid- 

 able '' sjamljok " to sla\' the I'cptile. This snake 

 made oft' into the ])ush, with such celerity and such 

 twistinu's that 1 discharued all tlie barrels of mv 

 revolver at it in Aaiii. Mr. Hai'ber, however, 

 arrested its progress with a bloAv from the thong oi" 

 the sjaiiil)()k. It i-eared up. opening wide its 

 mouth at us and hissing, a gi'aiid object. Fortu- 

 nately, owing to the length of the sjambok, it could 

 not reach Mr. Harbei'. Avho almost immedi- 

 atel)' hiid it h)\v -with a Avell-directed blow, 

 the thoijg catching it tight round the neck. 

 A bite IVum this most Aenomous of African 

 snakes M^ould lune been certainh' fatal in less 

 than an hour. It Avas a putt-adder of innnense 

 size, measuring seven feet, Avith a 1)ody thicker 

 than my wrist. At ^Machudi's a native kraal, in- 

 habited by a tribe only second to Khamas in in- 

 fluence and numbers, and governed l)y a chief of 

 evil I'cputation, our tra\-el ti-onl)les terminate(h 

 Here our heavy coach Avas to l)c left. ]\rajo]" Giles 

 and the doctor Avoidd travel in a smaller and 



II 



