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“ unseen world,” and therein I saw about twelve inches 
of visible python, a foot underground. The extremities 
extended for yards in both directions. I borrowed the 
“ boy’s ” assegai, jabbed it hard through the beast’s body 
and deep into the soil beneath—then turned and fleet. 
For one moment, a python’s head appeared at another 
outlet, then the assegai began to writhe and squirm 
before finally disappearing for ever! 
Here, in the Transvaal, were also big monitors, or 
iguanas, arboreal and terrestrial, some running to 4 and 
5 ft. in length—quite harmless, it is true; yet no one 
can regard them as congenial companions. We saw no 
sign of these in East Africa. 
The latter, moreover, enjoys a happy immunity even 
from the major noxious insects—the minor, admittedly, 
are bad enough. I cannot call to mind meeting with a 
dozen scorpions in East Africa, 1 whereas in the South, 
each camping-ground had to be laboriously cleared of 
stones and other shelter—and even then scorpions found 
refuge under one’s bath! Only once, however, was I 
stung, and that through the misplaced habit (born of 
civilisation) of washing every morning. In order to 
find my sponge-bag in the dark, I used to hang it on 
a convenient tree, and this particular morning the 
venomous beast was inside it! The pain is severe for 
twelve hours, and continues in modified degree for 
double that period. 
IV. The Safari 
The equipment of a safari—that is, the outfitting of 
an expedition for, say, three or four months up-country— 
demands much consideration, forethought and organisa¬ 
tion. Both of the first two essentials it is right to say 
are fairly fulfilled by the efficient arrangements of the 
Mombasa and Nairobi shooting-agents. The third 
largely depends on the “Neapara” or headman. 
1 Scorpions are, nevertheless, numerous enough in sandy regions, 
such as those of Njemps and northward therefrom. 
