HOW THE SERPENT WAS CAPTURED--HOSPITABLE
RECEPTION--MYSTERY OF A DONKEY.
"Hold on," I said; "that will blow his head all to pieces; we want to
save his skin with as little injury as possible."
"Well, how are you going to do it?" queried Jack.
"Lasso him and strangle him," I answered; "if necessary, we can put a
rifle-ball through his head--that won't damage it much--but I'd
rather save him whole and untouched."
Our after-rider and fore-looper had accompanied us, and I immediately
called to them. They fastened their horses to a tree, and I shouted
to the fore-looper to bring the coil of rope that hung at his
saddle-bow.
I told him to make a noose at the end of the rope, and try to throw
it over the snake's head. He was disinclined to go very near the
serpent, but I gave the assurance that we would see that no injury
came to him, as we stood ready with our guns. "We'll kill the fellow
anyway," I said, "on general principles. We'll shoot him all to
pieces rather than let him get away, and if he makes a spring at you
we'll attend to him."
The fore-looper got the rope ready, and while he was doing so the
after-rider, by my directions, cut a stick about ten feet long. I
tied a piece of rag on the end of the stick, to attract the attention
of the snake when the stick was held up. At the same time a similar
stick, with prongs about two feet in length, was prepared, and the
noose of the rope was fastened to it by tying it with a bit of twine
against the stick at the fork, and also at the ends of the prongs.
When all was ready the fore-looper held up the stick with the rag,
just out of reach of the snake as he darted his head. It attracted
his attention, and he made a dive for it, and then a second dive. As
he made the second attempt to reach it, the stick with the noose of
rope was held up, so that he darted his head directly through it.
I was holding on to the rope, and the instant that he fell into the
trap I pulled away with all my energy. The rope tightened around the
creature's neck, and we had him secure. We all lent a hand at
pulling him, and it was hard pulling, you may be sure. He tightened
his coils around the tree and refused to let go; I was not at all
sorry that he did so, as this enabled us to get a firm grip around
his neck. Not content with the one cord for strangling him, we put
another about him, and drew that just as tightly as we had drawn the
first. In a little, while his strength relaxed, his coils loosened,
and he came to the ground.
[Illustration: HOW THE SERPENT WAS CAPTURED.]
Here a new danger awaited us. He thrashed around at a lively rate,
and it was necessary for us to be very vigilant to avoid being hit by
his tail, which struck tremendous blows. In fact, Jack was knocked
down by one of them, but he was up with the quickness of lightning
and out of the way of the snake's coil. Now and then he would hit
against a tree, tighten a fold or two about it, and that, of course,
would set us to pulling again. While he was thus clinging to a tree
we bent his head around another tree, and then the after-rider pushed
a knife into his throat and started a furious stream of blood.
"I think that will settle him," said Jack; "he'll bleed to death in a
little while, and then you'll have his skin safe and sound, with the
exception of the little hole at the neck."
"It will take all day for him to become quiet," I replied; "I have
seen this sort of animal before, and he has a wonderful hold upon
life. He won't be through squirming until sundown."
Knowing that he could not possibly loosen the cords about his neck,
and that his death was only a question of time, we sent the
fore-looper back to camp to bring some of the Kafirs to watch the
place, and, when the snake was sufficiently quiet, to remove his
skin. One of our men was an adept at such work, and I particularly
cautioned the fore-looper to put the matter in his hands. Then we
rode on to our destination.
We were received in front of the kraal by the manager, whom I have
already mentioned, and also by numerous Kafirs and dogs. The manager
disappeared to announce our arrival, and we dismounted and gave our
horses in charge of the Kafirs. Presently the manager returned, and
invited us inside to the tent where I was received at my first visit.
The ladies were ready for us, and greeted us most cordially. They
were clad after the manner of civilization, their dresses being of
the tailor-made pattern, and of good, though not expensive, material.
The garments were evidently made for use rather than show, and had
been kept for just such occasions as this. Their clothing made a
sharp contrast with ours, but I do not think any of us bothered his
head about that. We chatted on general topics, told about our
hunting-experiences since we last met, and then Jack gave a
picturesque account of our interview with the snake, to which Harry
and I made occasional additions. Altogether I do not think the story
lost anything in the telling; neither did the size of the snake.
Miss Boland said she hoped that kind of game was not abundant in
Africa--she had a decided antipathy to snakes, whether large or
small; and Mrs. Roberts promptly acknowledged the same feeling.
We were still on the serpentine subject when Mrs. Roberts left the
tent for a moment, and came back with the announcement that luncheon
was on the table. We followed her lead into another and larger tent,
which served as the banqueting-hall. It was more sumptuous than the
lunching-place at our camp, as it was a real tent, while ours was a
temporary affair, improvised out of a wagon-cover.
The luncheon began with cups of cold consommé, and I at once
understood that they had a cook in their establishment far superior
to ours. Then we had cutlets of African pheasant, fricassee of
gemsbok, quail on toast--and real toast it was, too--and a salad made
of the same plant as that which Jack used for his. A well-made
omelet was one of the items of the feast, and we found afterward that
they had sent twenty miles to a native village to obtain the eggs.
They served claret and champagne. We had the laugh on them about the
champagne, as we had given ice in ours; but it was not so much of a
laugh after all, as they had cooled their champagne very fairly by
wrapping the bottle in a towel and hanging it in a shady place where
the air had free circulation. This is a trick well known in Africa
and other warm countries for cooling water or other liquids. In most
tropical lands they have porous jars which allow just enough of the
water to pass through to keep the surface moist, and the evaporation
of this water cools the contents of the jar.
We had green pease, and two or three other vegetables grown in
far-off Europe or America, and brought thence in cans. The crowning
glory of the feast was a plum-pudding--one of the most delicious that
I ever ate. We accused one of the ladies of its construction, but,
after indulging in a little badinage concerning it, they admitted
that it was one of the products of the canning industry, and they
were in no way responsible for it, except for having brought it along.
Well, by the time the luncheon was over we had very materially
increased our acquaintance with the fair amazons. We mentioned in
the most casual way the game we had seen while coming from our camp
to theirs, and suggested with equal carelessness that we thought we
would go in pursuit of some of it on the next day. At the mention of
the giraffes, and the account of our experiences with them, Miss
Boland said she had not yet hunted one of those animals, and hoped
she would have an opportunity before long.
Mrs. Roberts made a similar remark, and before we had talked much
longer it was agreed that we would make up a hunting-party for the
next day. Before we separated it was arranged that we would meet on
the following morning, at a point about midway between the two camps,
to go in pursuit of the giraffes, in case they should be found near
the locality where we saw them.
"I don't know," said Miss Boland, "that I can succeed in bringing
down a giraffe, but I will try."
Mrs. Roberts expressed the same doubt and also the same
determination, and then we dropped the subject.
Another surprise awaited us at the end of the luncheon, when the
coffee was served, and a box of cigars was produced! There is not
one African hunter of the male species in a hundred that carries a
supply of cigars when going up-country on a hunting-expedition; and
that two ladies should be thus equipped was certainly unexpected.
The thought arose in our minds as to whether our fair hostesses were
themselves devoted to the weed; they allayed our suspicions by
telling us that they were not smokers, either of cigars or
cigarettes, but had brought along a box of cigars under the
impression that they would be useful when entertaining visitors. "I
am told," said Mrs. Roberts, "that 'the cigars which a woman buys'
are proverbial for their badness. I wish you would tell us frankly
whether these are good or not. I bought them of a shopkeeper at
Walvisch Bay, and he assured me they were the best in the market."
We all declared that the cigars were excellent, whereupon Miss Boland
remarked:
"I suppose you mean they're excellent for South Africa?"
"Well," said Jack, "to be frank with you, they are not the very best
cigars in the world, but they are really of very good quality. The
shopkeeper undoubtedly told you the truth when he said they were the
best in the market--that is, the market of Walvisch Bay. None of the
ports of South Africa could produce anything better, with the
possible exception of Cape Town, which is accustomed to more luxury
than any other place. Set your minds at rest, ladies; any visitor to
your camp who smokes a cigar will consider these of a superior
quality. He is pretty sure to have been without one for a long time,
and therefore will not draw comparisons between these and the
choicest Havana weed that ever was made."
Soon after lighting our cigars we left the tent and strolled about
the premises. To begin with, the tents were the perfection of
neatness in their interior arrangements, and our hostesses were
evidently good housekeepers. The little odds and ends about the
place had been arranged in the most tasteful fashion, and they were
evidently deriving a good deal of comfort from their wandering home.
The kraal where the oxen and horses were made secure at night was
strong and substantial, and the cleanliness of the interior showed a
great deal of energy on the part of somebody.
Mrs. Roberts told us that their manager was a very intelligent
fellow, and came from one of the Boer settlements in the Orange Free
State. When they started out with him his ideas of neatness and
order were very vague; but he was a good-natured chap, and they had
succeeded in instilling him with their enthusiasm on that subject.
"It is a case of eternal vigilance," she added, "and it is necessary
for us to go over the regulations with him pretty nearly every day in
order to hold him up to his duties. He has been up-country several
times before, and consequently we cannot instruct him much upon his
general work. He has managed so well," she continued, "that we have
lost only two oxen and not a single horse since we started."
I replied that they certainly ought to be proud of such a manager, as
they had been more fortunate than we.
Just as I made this remark we came around to where two donkeys were
tethered. As soon as the animals caught sight of the ladies they
strained at their tethers and held up their heads to be patted.
"Those are evidently your riding-animals," Harry remarked.
"Yes, we ride them sometimes," said Miss Boland, "though not as often
as we do our horses. We bought the donkeys partly in the belief that
they would be useful, and partly as a lark. We have had lots of fun
with them, as they are the first animals of their kind ever seen in
this part of South Africa. The natives have looked at them in
wonder, and have queried whether the creatures are horses, dogs, or
lions. In one village we came to the whole population engaged in a
fierce discussion on the subject. One of the wise men said the
donkeys were a new kind of dogs which the foreigners had brought
along. Another said they were not dogs, but horses, and he called
attention to the creatures' hoofs. Just then one of the donkeys
brayed, and the crowd jumped back in astonishment and terror, crying,
'It's a lion! It's a lion!'"