i 4 6 ADVENTURES OF AN ELEPHANT HUNTER CH. xiv 



frequently come across the black mamba and green 

 mamba, both very deadly and vicious snakes. The 

 black mamba is called, by the Angoni, duguwaloh, 

 by the Mwera, letaebo ; the green mamba is known 

 to the Angoni as the jokomahamba, to the Mwera, 

 as the namabamba. 



As far as I can gather, practically the only 

 effectual antidote to snake poison known to the 

 natives is the root of a very small shrub called the 

 cherungu. The root is pulverized, and some of the 

 powder is taken internally with water, while some is 

 rubbed into the actual wound. 



While on the subject of snakes, which are, 

 perhaps, of all living things the most repulsive to 

 man, I must make mention of a dreadful little animal, 

 which the natives are very averse to tackling. It 

 is about the size of a badger, is covered with coarse, 

 greyish-black hair, and has a white patch on the 

 back. The Angoni call the beast mculae or 

 chembulae, the Mwera, nculie. The extraordinary 

 feature about this animal is its habit of springing at 

 game and fastening on to its victim's testicles with 

 its teeth. Some years ago, I shot a koodoo and 

 found its testicles completely eaten away, and the 

 natives stoutly asserted that this had been the work 

 of the mculae, and averred that they had come 

 across innumerable instances of an exactly similar 

 kind. 



