AN EXCITING ADVENTURE. 69 



from a neighbouring tribe was as securely protected as such 

 people were in the old Highland clans. 



The Python is the most popular " familiar " of the Kafir 

 Witch. On this ground alone the average Kafir would never 

 dream of interfering with it. 



These " Witch-doctors " may be of either sex. Colonists 

 usually make no distinction in the name. 



An Exciting Adventure. 



I was staying at the farm of a Boer friend, and one morning 

 accompanied him down to his rabbit hutches to help feed the 

 rabbits ; and in one of those hutches we found a sixteen-feet 

 Python asleep, with a big Belgian hare inside of it. It had 

 squeezed itself between the iron bars, swallowed the rabbit, 

 and finding it could not get out, made itself comfortable and 

 dozed off. We pushed it into a sack, and I rode a twenty-mile 

 journey home, with it strapped to the front of the saddle. On 

 the way it got alarmed, and began to struggle. My pony turned 

 his head, sniffed the sack, and next instant sped across the hillside 

 at break-neck speed. The sack got loose and fell. However, 

 when my frisky pony had worked off his surplus energy, I re- 

 turned, packed up my sackful of Python, and wended my weary 

 way homeward. My troubles were not over, for on arrival home 

 late in the night I told my native groom to take off the sack and 

 put it on the ground and stable the pony. Presently I heard a 

 most awful yell, and rushing out, was just in time to see my Python 

 making off into the darkness, and the Kafir lying on his back 

 bawling at the top of his voice in Zulu for his mother and his 

 father, as is their custom when frightened, or in pain. It seems 

 the silly fellow, in removing the sack from the saddle, went and 

 undid the cord binding up the mouth of the sack — at least, that 

 was his explanation. The real fact was he thought there was some 

 buck meat inside the sack, and wanted to make sure, so as to be 

 prepared to beg some when I came out again to see if my horse 

 had been rubbed down and properly fed, as was my custom. I 

 never saw that Python again, but somehow the news got about, 

 and I was voted a nuisance, and people talked of petitioning 

 Government to remove me from the neighbourhood. 



