144 ADVENTURES OF AN ELEPHANT HUNTER CH. 



and this village several natives had been killed by 

 snakes. On two occasions, when travelling along this 

 route, we encountered a large snake, sunning itself 

 in the middle of the way, which on our approach 

 immediately sought shelter in a convenient hole. 

 On the second occasion, we securely closed up the 

 entrance with sticks so that the reptile couldn't poss- 

 ibly escape, and as we heard of no further casualties 

 among the natives of the village, we inferred that 

 we had taken ample vengeance for those poor fellows 

 whom the reptile had killed. The snake in question 

 was one of a deadly poisonous species, called, by the 

 Angoni, najika, and -by the Mwera, kolapongu. 

 The skin is of a greyish tint with three black stripes 

 on its neck, and the reptile attains a maximum 

 length of nine feet 



There is a beautiful non-poisonous snake in the 

 pori, called by the Angoni, ulalu, and by the Mwera, 

 naru, which has a white skin marked with three 

 longitudinal blood-red stripes, and to meet it, when 

 hunting, is considered a most auspicious omen. 



Very occasionally, I have encountered a large 

 black, spotted snake, called by the Angoni, 

 gulalahie, which is extremely poisonous, but not at 

 all vicious, and which is generally found in the 

 vicinity of ant-hills. 



On one occasion, when we were hurrying along 

 on the spoor of elephants which had bolted, a small 



