on. He at once said that he had some
medicine, especially for this complaint, from which he very frequently
suffered. (I strongly suspect that his only complaint was laziness.)
He offered me a piece, which I accepted on condition that he should also
eat a bit. It tasted something like rhubarb, but was also very bitter,
and hot. In a few minutes, strange to say, I felt quite recovered, and
walked many hours in the bush without distress.

Inyovu's father, from what I could gather, must have lived about three
hours between the period of the bite and his death; this would not give
a person much time to be "shriven." I saw his body, and it did not seem
to be much swollen or altered. The number of poisonous snakes in this
district was a great drawback to the delight of the sport; for when
walking through long grass one was never certain that some horrid
serpent was not ready to give a bite that would speedily terminate one's
career. Although this dread gradually wore off, it was occasionally
refreshed in the memory by some narrow escape from being bitten.

For example, I once shot a coran across the Umganie, and as it fell
amongst some long grass and bushes, I could not find it, and for some
time pushed the grass about with my ramrod. Suddenly a something, that
looked like a broad dead leaf, rose up almost under my hand from amongst
the brushwood that I had turned over. It was about a foot from me, and
only attracted my attention by a sort of waving motion, as it was a good
deal concealed by the grass, and upon looking at it, I perceived it was
a hideous cobra, with its hood extended. I stood like a statue, and the
snake dropped down and glided away. Why it did not bite me I know not,
as I must have struck it unintentionally with my ramrod. These things
are over in a few seconds, but one travels over a long space of time
during their occurrence, and the impressions which they leave are most
vivid.

When it slid away I first truly realised the danger in which I had been,
and jumped from the spot as though the ground had been red-hot. I
feared also that I might have been bitten unconsciously, and was thus
anything but happy for several hours. I searched no more for my wounded
coran in that place!

I was in the habit of bathing morning and evening in the Natal Bay, and
selected some old piles, the remains of a pier, as the most convenient
place from which to jump, as the water became deep just beyond the last
o