much longer
than a waddy; perhaps it was a yam-stick--I cannot remember. At any
rate, just as I was about to probe a mysterious-looking hole, I beheld
with alarm and amazement the ugly head of a large black snake suddenly
thrust out at me from a dark mass, which I presently found was the
decayed stump of a tree. I fell back as far as possible, and then saw
that the reptile had quite uncoiled itself from the stem, and was coming
straight at me. I promptly dealt it a violent blow on the body, just
below that point where it raised its head from the ground. No sooner had
I done this than another dark and hissing head came charging in my
direction. Again I struck at the reptile's body and overpowered it. Next
came a third, and a fourth, and fifth, and then I realised that the whole
of the dead stump was simply one living mass of coiled snakes, which were
probably hibernating. One after another they came at me; of course, had
they all come at once, no power on earth could have saved me. I wondered
how long this weird contest would be kept up; and again and again between
the attacks I tried to escape, but had scarcely taken an upward step when
another huge reptile was upon me.

I was aware that Bruno was running backwards and forwards at the edge of
the pit all this time, barking frantically in a most excited state. He
knew perfectly well what snakes were, having frequently been bitten. I
owe my life on this occasion solely to the fact that the snakes were in a
torpid state, and came at me one at a time instead of altogether. It was
the cold season, about the month of June or July. It is impossible at
such moments to take any account of time, so I cannot say how long the
battle lasted. At length, however, I was able to count the slain. I did
this partly out of curiosity and partly because I wanted to impress the
natives--to boast, if you prefer that phrase. Modesty, where modesty is
unknown, would have been absurd, if not fatal to my prestige. Well, in
all there were _sixty-eight black snakes_, _averaging about four feet six
inches in length_.

I do not remember that I was fatigued; I think my excitement was too
great for any such feeling to have made itself felt. When at length I
was able to get away, I and Bruno rushed off to the native camp a few
miles away, and brought back the blacks to see what I had done. The
spectacle threw them into a state of great amazement, and from that time
on I was looked upon