PUFF-ADDERS. 263 



was an excellent substitute for a dressing-room. One warm 

 evening I had undressed as usual, and was walking over the 

 deep sand to the plank from which I took my accustomed 

 header, when I noticed the sand began to heave about 

 a yard in front of me, and the broad ace-of-clubs shaped 

 head of a puff-adder rise up in a threatening attitude. 

 I should not have been more astonished had I seen 

 a whale in the same place, as no cover for a snake was 

 near, and it seemed such a very unlikely locality. I 

 jumped back immediately, and looked about for a stick 

 or stone ; before I could find either, however, the adder 

 had shaken the sand from his back, and quietly glided 

 under the little platform on which all my clothes were 

 lying. I gave up the idea of bathing that night, and 

 began to think how I was to regain my raiment. I kept 

 a watchful eye on the lower part of the platform, and 

 creeping up to it, made a sudden grab at my clothes and 

 bolted away. I took care to shake each article very care- 

 fully before putting it on, but more particularly my boots, 

 for on my first arrival in the colony, a kind friend in- 

 formed me that boots were a favourite resting-place for 

 snakes. And to assist the idea he had inserted a hair brush 

 into one of them, and, just as I was pulling it on, shouted 

 for me to u look out for the snake." I arranged a grand 

 attack on the snake's residence the following day, when 

 two full-grown and five young puff-adders were killed. 

 It was very fortunate that none of these adders had ever 

 taken a fancy to locate themselves in the leg of my trousers, 

 or the arm of my coat, for the sake of warmth, during the 

 time that I was cooling myself in the water. This family 



