THE STEPPES OF INNER AFRICA. 185 



viper, that Moses juggled before Pharaoh, as the snake-charmers 

 still do; the same, too, whose image in gold the ancient kings of 

 Egypt wore as a diadem to express their irresistible power, and 

 which they .used in the punishment of criminals, or in executing 

 revenge on enemies, — a creature in regard to which the old authors 

 tell many gruesome, and not always untrue, tales. In contrast to 

 other venomous snakes it is active during the day; when unexcited 

 it looks very harmless, but it is extremely agile, irritable, and bold, 

 and combines all the qualities which render venomous serpents 

 dangerous. Usually unseen, for its colour closely resembles that 

 of the sand and the withered grass, it glides, often with uncanny 

 rapidity, through the grass-forest, conscious of its terrible weapons, 

 and ready for attack whenever it fancies danger. In attitude of 

 defence it raises the anterior fifth or sixth of its body, and expands 

 the neck ribs so as to form a sort of shield, above which lies the 

 small head, with lively sparkling eyes. It fastens its sharp gaze on 

 its opponent, and prepares for the bite which is quick as lightning 

 and almost without exception fatal. Then its appearance is dread- 

 ful but yet beautiful, bewildering and terrifying to man and beast. 

 It is generally asserted that this snake may kill without biting, by 

 spitting or shooting its venom at its enemy ;*^ and it is at any rate 

 true that the poison-glands secrete the dread juice so copiously that 

 great drops trickle from the openings of the perforated fangs. 

 Little wonder that both natives and Europeans are much more 

 afraid of this asp than of the sluggish horned viper which visits their 

 bed by night. Nor is it difficult to understand why the stranger 

 fires at every snake, even the most harmless, which comes within 

 his sight, or why every rustling in the grass or foliage gives one a 

 slight shock, or at least induces careful circumspection. But the 

 rustling is continually to be heard in the steppe, for there are many 

 other snakes no less common than the asp — many, from the huge 

 python or hieroglyphic snake, sometimes nearly twenty feet in 

 length, down to harmless grass-snakes of minute size. Besides 

 these there is a countless host of lizards of all kinds. 



Whoever has a horror of snakes may perhaps be reconciled to 

 the class of reptiles by the agile, beautifully-coloured lizards, for 



