212 



THEOUGH TUEKANA AND SUK 



As in all critical cases, up hurried the fearless half-caste Arab, 

 Mahommed Mote, who delighted to do what no one else dared. 

 He wound his turban round his right arm, and was about to 

 pick up the snake, when he too received a charge of spittle in 

 his eyes, started back, and began to yell as the other Ma- 

 hommed had done. After these experiences, the chest was 

 turned upside down, and the snake despatched with long 

 sticks, a mode of death which unfortunately rendered its body 

 useless to science. Count Teleki bathed the eyes of the men 

 with very diluted sal-ammoniac lotion, which seemed to relieve 

 them. The burning pain gradually subsided in about twenty- 

 four hours ; and there were no unpleasant after-results in either 

 case. 



On the morning of May 20 we reached our old camping- 

 place at Alia. Just before we got there, we came upon the 

 skeleton of the elephant which had smashed up our canvas 

 boat, recognising him by his tusks. The men all showed signs 

 of the hard work telling on them, so we stopped here for a 

 day's rest. A few only of the Elmolo, whose sand-banks were 

 now scarcely above water, visited us, and offered dried fish 

 for sale. They told us that most of the men were, as usual, 

 gone to Eeshiat, to help in the harvest. Probably they get 

 their canoes repaired there too. 



The next march brought us to our camping-place of 

 March 19, and by the way we noticed the remarkable oc- 

 currence of numerous big fishes belonging to the catfish group 

 in rain pools, at a considerable distance from the lake. One 

 of our men accidentally noticed one, and after this there was 

 a regular hunt for them, every pool being prodded with 

 bayonets, knives, poles, &c., till quite a number of fishes were 

 taken, and as Count Teleki shot two rhinoceroses just as we got 

 to the camp, we remained there for the rest of the day. Another 

 reason for waiting was that two of our men were missing. One 



