AFRICA. 263 
nature of thtboicininga^ or rattle fiiake, which 
I have feen often in South America. 
I obferved on this occafion how much 
thefe auimals are dreaded by apes. It was 
not poffible for me to make Kees approach 
the ferpent that I had got poffeffion of, 
though it was entirely dead. In order to 
amufe myfelf, I found means however to 
faften it to his tail; fo that not being able to 
make any motion without moving the fer- 
pent alfo, it may eafily be conceived what 
leaps and jumps poor Kees took, and what 
fury and impatience he (hew^ed during the 
whole time that I kept his fatal enemy af- 
fixed to him. 
When night came on, we obferved a 
large fire, w^hich we concluded, as far as 
the obfcurity would permit us to judge, to 
be on the top of feme mountain, at the dlf- 
tance of about three leagues from us. Not- 
withftanding this diftance, concerning which ' 
we were not certain, my Hottentots thought 
they perceived the fliadows of fome men 
paffing backwards and forwards' before the 
fire, and my fpying-glafs foon convinced me 
that they were not miftaken ; but we were 
ignorant whether they were CafFres5 or thofe 
S 4 dete.fiable 
