444 SNAKES. 



followed up the snake, and, being without a stick, he had tried 

 repeatedly to kick it, but had always missed his mark. All of a 

 sudden the snake totally disappeared. Now, the true solution of 

 this chase is nothing more or less than that the snake had been dis- 

 turbed by the old woman, and had taken its departure for some other 

 place, but, on seeing a man come up from behind, it had glided 

 harmlessly along the path which the old woman had taken ; and then 

 to save its life, it had slipped into the weeds in the hedge-bottom. 

 Nothing was talked of in the village, but how that Molly Mokeson 

 had been chased by the devil ; for the good people of Walton, wiser 

 in their generation than the sages of Philadelphia, never dreamed of 

 taking this animal for a real snake ; knowing full well that snakes are 

 not in the habit of chasing men or women. I was consulted on the 

 important affair ; and I remarked with great gravity, that there was 

 something very strange and awful in it. " If," said I, " Molly has 

 unfortunately been interfering with any other woman's witchcraft ; or 

 if she has been writing words with her own blood ; or, above all, if 

 there was a strong smell of brimstone in the lane at the time of the 

 chase, then, and in that case, there is too much reason to fear that 

 the thing which Wilson took for a snake was an imp from the bottom- 

 less pit, sent up here, no doubt, by the king of sulphur, on some 

 wicked and mischievous errand." Poor old Molly is still alive, but 

 Nature is almost done with her ; and she is now rarely seen on the 

 cold side of the threshold. Many a time have I bantered old Molly 

 on this serpentine apparition ; but she would only shake her head, 

 and say she wished she had been at home that evening, instead of 

 going up Blind Lane. 



The following letter is an example of Waterton's scientific pre- 

 cision, and contains an admirable demonstration of the disposition 

 of snakes. It was in reply to Mr F. R. Surtees, a gentleman at the 

 Cape of Good Hope, who had written to inform Waterton that his 

 assertion with regard to the timidity of serpents did not apply to 

 Africa, and that there snakes acted upon the offensive as well as de- 

 fensive towards man. [ED.] 



