AN ABODE OF SNAKES. 139 



an uncertain scent, as he " gingerly " (excuse the shang, as 

 being tlie most expressive term for the movement) advanced 

 each bare foot through the long dry grass. Presently he 

 motioned to me to stand still whilst he proceeded cautiously 

 to climb a small tree, in order to get a better view of the 

 ground in front of him. After a careful survey, he beckoned 

 me to advance. Just as I reached the tree, a dark-brown 

 object, which I recognised at once as a big snake, glided 

 across a bare patch of ground about fifteen or twenty yards 

 in front. In a few seconds the reptile was helplessly 

 writhing and twisting in its death-throes, with a bullet 

 through the thickest part of its body. 



I now considered that I had secured the original wearer 

 of the cast-off skin, and that the business was at an end. 

 But the Goorkha positively asserted that this snake was not 

 the one he had seen before, which he declared was nearly 

 twice as large, and of a much brighter colour. This python 

 was 13 feet long and about a foot and a half in girth, with 

 dark-brown and black markings. 



We now went to examine the hole, which was close by, 

 and for which the snake must have been making when I 

 stopped him. It had evidently been originally the den of 

 porcupines, though now used as the temporary abode of 

 snakes. Of its being the latter there was no doubt, for on 

 looking into it we could see a bit of the tail-end of a second 

 snake, which doubtless was the one the Goorkha had at first 

 seen. We resolved not to meddle with it then, as we thought 

 it would be pretty sure to be found basking in the sun some 

 other day. We dragged the other to the nearest forest-path 

 and suspended it over a branch, where it could be easily seen 

 by the men sent with an elephant to fetch it. Its body 

 showed slight muscular action when brought to camp in the 

 evening some six hours after being shot. 



Business prevented my visiting the python's haunt next 

 day. On the following morning, however, I went there with 

 three Goorkhas who volunteered to accompany me. Cau- 



