Year: 1869

r Du Chaillu, in his last book about AT


rica says:


, One day l witnessed q fearful scene.-
A man, a native of Goree, an island on
the coast of Senegambia, who had the
| reputation of being snake charmer,
and was then at the Gaboon, had sue
ceeded in capturing one of these large
naja. He was bold man, and prided
himself on never being afraid of any
, snake, however venemous the reptile
might be; nay, not only was he not


afraid of any of them, but he would
. fight with any Of them, and get hold of
them.


had often seen him with snakes in
his hands. He was careful, of course,
to hold them just by the neck below the


head, in such a manner that the neck


could not turn on itself and bite him.


That day he brought into large open


place, perfectly bare OF grass, one of


these wild naja that he had just captur-


ed, and was amusing himself by teasing


the horrid and loathsome creature when


l arrived. 1t was a huge one. r.


Most of the people of the village had


fed, and those natives who, like myself,


were looking on, Kept a long way off,


Not Mbongwe man, not single inhab-


liant of the whole region have explor-


ed would have ever dared to do what the
Goree man did.


Two or three times, as the snake
crawled on the ground, we made off in


the opposite direction with the utmost
! speed, myself, am afraid, leading off in


the general stampede, though l had pro-


vided myself with gun.


1t was perfectly fearful. perfectly hor-


rid and appalling, to see that man max
ing plaything of this monster, laugh


ing, as we may say, at death, for it could
be nothing else, thought.


At first when I saw him he had the
snake around the body, but he held it


firmly just below the neck, and / could


see by the muscles Of his arm that he
had to use great strength. As long as
this part of the body is held firmly the
snake loses much of its great power of
crushing one to death, as the boa con-
strictor or python does with larger ami
mails, and as small snakes do with small


er game; but with this naja the danger
would have been the venemous bite.
Then with tho other hand he took the


tail Of the snake, and gave it swing
and gradually unfolded the reptile from


his black body, which was warm and
shining with excitement. but always
holding the head. On sudden he threw
the snake on the ground. Then the
creature began to crawl away, when sud-
denly the Goree man came in front of it


with light stick and instantly the mon
ster erected itself almost to half its full
Z length, gave tremendous whistle, which
we all heard, looked glaringly and fierce


ly in the mans face with its sharp, point


ed tongue out, and then stood still as it
could not move. The Goree man, with
his left hand, touched it lightly, as


though to tease it. 1t was fearful
sight-and if he had been near enough,
J the snake would, no doubt, have sprung
upon its antagonist. The man, as he
teased and infuriated the snake with the
rod he held in his left hand, drew the at


tention of the reptile toward the stick


then suddenly, and in the wink of an
eye, almost as quick as lightning, with
his right hand he got hold of the crea-


ture just under his head


The same thing that l have just de-
scribed again took place. The snake


folded itself round his body then he
: unfolded the snake, which was once more
let loose, and, now this horrid serpent got


so infuriated that as soon as he was
: thrown upon the ground he erected him
self, and the glare of his eyes was some.
: thing terrible. 1t was indeed an appall-


ing scene; the air around seemed to be
: filled with the whistling sound of the
creature.
Alas a more terrible scene soon took
= place The man became bolder and bold
d er, more and more careless, and the snake


probably more and more accustomed te
. the mode of warfare of his antagonist
: and just as the monster stood erect tn,
!. man attempted to seize its neck as h,
Y had done many and many time before
o but grasped the body too low, and befor,
4 he had time to let it go, the head turned
on itself and the man was bitten l wa.
n perfectly speechless, the scene had frozer
;. my blood, and the wild shrieks of al
;e those round rent the air. The serpen
\ was loose and crawling on the ground
!, but, before it had time to go far, long
: pole came down nupon its back and brok,
its spine, and in less than take to writ,
= it down the monster was killed.