JUJA FARM; HIPPO AND LEOPARD 



131 



the body about its middle. Immediately the snake lashed 

 at me with open jaws, and then, uncoiling, came gliding 

 rapidly in our direction. I do not think it was charging; 

 I think it was merely trying to escape. But Judd, who 

 was utterly unmoved by lion, leopard, or rhino, evidently 

 held this snake in respect, and yelled to me to get out of 

 the way. Accordingly, I jumped back a few feet, and the 



The python 

 From a photograph by IV. N. McMillan 



snake came over the ground where I had stood; its evil 

 genius then made it halt for a moment and raise its head 

 to a height of perhaps three feet, and I killed it by a shot 

 through the neck. The porters were much wrought up 

 about the snake, and did not at all like my touching it and 

 taking it up, first by the tail and then by the head. It was 

 only twelve feet long. We tied it to a long stick and sent 

 it in by two porters. 



Another day we beat for lions, but without success. 

 We rode to a spot a few miles off, where we were joined by 

 three Boer farmers. They were big, upstanding men, 



