1 64 THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO CHAP. 



" Here by the bed," he cried. " Bring the gun, 

 quickly." 



I seized the shot-gun, which I always kept 

 handy, and rushed to the tent, where, by the light 

 of the lantern, I saw a great red snake, about seven 

 feet long, gazing at me from the side of my camp- 

 bed. I instantly fired at him, cutting him clean in 

 half with the shot ; the tail part remained where it 

 was, but the head half quickly wriggled off and 

 disappeared in the gloom of the tent. The trail of 

 blood, however, enabled us to track it, and we 

 eventually found the snake, still full of fight, under 

 the edge of the ground-sheet. He made a last 

 vicious dart at one of the men who had run up, but 

 was quickly given the happy despatch by a blow on 

 the head. Rawson now picked it up and brought 

 it to the light. He then put his foot on the back 

 of its head and with a stick forced open the jaws, 

 when suddenly we saw two perfectly clear jets of 

 poison spurt out from the fangs. An Indian baboo 

 (clerk), who happened to be standing near, got the 

 full benefit of this, and the poor man was so panic- 

 stricken that in a second he had torn off every atom 

 of his clothing. We were very much amused at 

 this, as of course we knew that although the poison 

 was exceedingly venomous, it could do no harm 

 unless it penetrated a cut or open wound in the 

 flesh. I never found out the name of this snake, 



