Rattlesnake oil was sold in the United States as a remedy for deafness, lumbago, toothache, sore throat, and rheumatism. If you didn’t want to drink it you could just rub it on any ailing part of your body.
‘Is that snake dead or not?’ Roger demanded, seeing that the headless body kept on twisting and squirming.
‘Not yet,’ Hal said.
‘How can it keep on living with its head off?’
‘A snake’s brain isn’t just in its head. The rest is all the way down the spine. Keep away from it. If it catches you it can still squeeze the life out of you. Don’t excite it. Keep your voice down.’
Roger stared at his brother. ‘Are you kidding me? A snake has no ears. Even if it did, it couldn’t hear after its head is gone.’
‘A snake,’ Hal said, ‘has ears all over its body.’
‘Now you are talking nonsense,’ Roger protested.
‘Not complete nonsense,’ Hal smiled. ‘They aren’t ears like ours. They don’t exactly hear sounds. They feel them. Every sound makes vibrations and the snake feels the vibrations. Its nerves are very delicate. It can pick up sound waves that would be too faint or too high-pitched for you to get at all. It can even tell what direction the sound is coming from. Even the light footsteps of a rat would be enough. It can turn and grab that rat without looking for it. The snake’s long body touching the ground all the way from head to tail gives it the ability to detect the slightest vibrations. It’s like a seismograph that is used to record earthquakes. You remember in Japan the newspapers used to say how many earthquakes the seismograph had recorded in a day, sometimes a hundred, and we hadn’t felt one of them. Every snake is a wriggling seismograph.’
‘Speaking of hearing,’ Roger said, ‘do you hear a bell? Every time that snake twists I hear a tinkle.’
Hal laughed. ‘Now you’re the one who is crazy. Snakes don’t tinkle.’
This one does. Listen. Hear it? You’re so good at explaining - explain that.’
Hal heard it. Even with all his training from childhood up as a practising naturalist, here was something he couldn’t explain. ‘You’ve got me there,’ he admitted.
Toto, his shoulder bandaged, came to Hal. ‘You want?’ he said, pointing at the snake.
‘No, I don’t want it,’ Hal said. ‘You and the men can do what you like with it.’
Toto grinned his appreciation and went back to the men. Hal was a good boss. He had made a kind gift to his crew.
The men slit the underside of the body and began to strip oft the skin. It was worth good money. Python hide makes excellent leather. It is waterproof, damp-proof, wear-resistant. It does not crack, chip, or peel.
It was better than cowhide or goatskin. These animals, since they have legs to keep them up off the ground, do not need such tough skins. A python which must drag its two-hundred-pound body over the ground and through brush must be protected by heavy armour.
So python skin was strong and could be used in many ways. It could be turned into shoes, handbags, briefcases, luggage, upholstery, hats, belts, and so on. Even cameras, fountain pens, and tennis racket covers were made from it,
But the skin would spoil unless it was stripped from the dead snake without delay. So Hal understood the haste of the crew.
When the hide had been peeled free, the body was cut open and out tumbled a fine pork dinner - two fat pigs who must have been swallowed recently and were little affected by the snake’s digestive juices.
The snake had evidently been guilty of raiding some native village.
But still the tinkle was not explained. A little more cutting, and the mystery was cleared up. Out came the skeleton of a cat with a small bell on its neck. Toto took off the bell, washed it in the lake, and hung it on his neck-cord where it tinkled merrily as he worked.
‘Dig that hole larger,’ Hal advised the men. ‘Perhaps you’ll find the nest.’
Six feet down they came upon a large chamber containing a great number of leathery white eggs about four inches in diameter. They counted them. There were ninety unopened eggs and two that had been broken.
‘Wonder what broke them,’ Roger said.
‘There’s your answer,’ Hal said, pointing out two baby snakes about a foot long. ‘Notice the horny tooth on the end of their snouts. They use that to slit open the shell.’
The men were opening the other eggs. Coiled inside each was a small but complete snake, its little forked tongue darting in and out.
The Africans seemed as delighted as if they had discovered gold. They carefully put every one of the ninety snakelets into a deep pan.
‘What good are they?’ Roger asked.
‘You’ll see at dinner-time.’
The big snake was cut into thick slices. A fire was made near the cabin and not only the pigs but generous steaks of python meat were baked in the embers. The tiny snakes were skewered on spears and grilled over the fire. Everyone came to the banquet with a fine appetite, including Hal and Roger.
It was the first time they had ever eaten snake. They were surprised to find it so good.
‘It’s like chicken,’ Roger said, ‘only not so dry.’
Hal said, ‘I understand the cannibals like it even better than man-meat, just for that very reason - it’s not so dry. A man is about sixty per cent water. But a snake is seventy-five per cent water.’
‘I feel like a savage,’ Roger said, ‘sitting here and eating snake meat.’
‘You don’t need to feel that way about it,’ Hal said. ‘Your ancestors in Europe ate snake. It is still eaten to some extent in France - but for the benefit of persons who don’t like the idea of eating snake, the meat is sold in the market as ‘eel’. The Pilgrims who came over in the Mayflower ate snake when they ran out of other food. The pioneers who went West in covered wagons ate rattlers when they were short of other provisions. Rattlesnake meat is still canned in Florida. Here in Africa where there are so many snakes the people would be foolish if they didn’t eat them. It’s not savage. It’s just common sense.’
For dessert the grilled baby snakes were served. The men popped the small snakes into their mouths and chewed up the soft bones and delicate flesh with much pleasure.
This was just a little bit more than Roger could take. He announced that he was not hungry any more. Even Hal would gladly have skipped this dessert. But his men were watching him. With a smile on the outside and a sickish feeling inside he downed one of the little wrigglers.
Back in the cabin Hal went to an old rolltop desk and began fishing through some papers, yellow with age.
‘I saw something here about pythons - ah - this is it. It’s a clipping from a missionary magazine, Glad Tidings, published fifty years ago. It gives some curious advice on what to do if you are attacked by a python.’ He read the clipping:
‘Remember not to run away - the python can move faster. The thing to do is to lie flat on the ground on your back with your feet together, arms to the sides and head well down. The python will then try to push its head under you, experimenting at every possible point. Keep calm. One wriggle and he will get under you, wrap his coils around you, and crush you.
‘After a time the snake will get tired of this and will probably decide to swallow you without squeezing you first. He will very likely begin with one of your feet. Keep calm. You must let him swallow your foot; it is quite painless and will take a long time.
‘If you lose your head and struggle, he will quickly whip his coils around you. If you keep calm, he will go on swallowing. Wait patiently until he has swallowed about up to your knee. Then carefully take out your knife and insert it into the distended side of his mouth, and with a quick rip, slit him up.’
Roger grinned. ‘I don’t think I could be that patient - to keep calm and let him swallow me up to the knee before I slit him up. I’d slit him up before he got that far.’
‘Right,’ Hal agreed. ‘Only in our case we can’t slit him up - nor shoot him.’ He took out Tieg’s gun. put it into a drawer of
the desk, locked the drawer, and put the key in his pocket. ‘The next python we meet we’ve got to take alive.’
Chapter 8
Roger’s luck
Roger was blue. They had failed twice. ‘Wonder what boner we’ll pull next,’ he said bitterly.
Hal gave him no comfort. He too was disappointed.
‘Well, at least,’ he said, ‘we’ve had three grand successes.’
‘Oh, is that so? Tell me what they are.’
‘We’ve succeeded in making three deadly enemies in two days. That takes real talent.’
‘What enemies?’
‘Gog is one. Tieg is the other.’
‘That’s two. What’s the third?’
‘The mate of the python Tieg killed. We haven’t heard from it yet. But we probably will.’
‘Do you think a python really cares about its mate?’
‘Certainly. Especially if they’ve been raising a family. A python can become savage if anyone interferes with its young. It has a built-in instinct to coil around its eggs and protect them until they hatch,’
‘Then why wasn’t there any snake coiled around the eggs when the men opened the nest?’
‘Probably out foraging for food. Even a python must eat. But when it comes back and finds that its eggs have been stolen, look out It will attack anything or anybody within reach.’ He thought a moment. ‘That’s our chance to catch it. I’ll post a man near the nest with a police whistle. If he sees the snake he can whistle us down to help him take it.’
Roger said, ‘Let me do it.’
Hal smiled indulgently. His kid brother certainly had plenty of nerve. And strength too - large for his age and well supplied with muscle. But he was certainly not a match for an angry python. Suppose the snake attacked before the men could come to his aid.
‘I’d rather you wouldn’t,’ he said. ‘I’ll tell Joro to pick a man for the job.’
‘Why do that when you’ve already got a man,’ Roger objected, ‘or a reasonable imitation of one. There’s nothing dangerous about it. All I have to do is to whistle.’
Reluctantly, Hal consented. After all, a boy must grow up. And he wouldn’t grow up unless he was given responsibility.
‘Go ahead. Here’s the whistle. Blow loud and clear if you see anything.’
Roger took the whistle. Also he took up a coil of rope.
‘What’s that for?’ Hal asked.
‘Just to noose it if it tries to make off into the jungle before the men get there.’
He went off in high spirits.’ The sun had almost left the clearing. Soon it would be shut off by the tall trees. Then the animals would be coming out to drink. The python too, perhaps.
Hal, a bit anxious, watched him go to the other side of the lake. Then he went out and found Joro.
‘My brother is watching for the python’s mate,’ he said. ‘If he sees it he will blow his whistle. When you hear it, get down there in a hurry. Tell the men.’
Roger scanned the lake, but there was no sign of a python. He looked down the hole that had been enlarged to get at the eggs. He examined the other hole. He could not see very far down - the snake might or might not be at home. Or it might be out looking for food, or prowling in search of those who had taken its mate.
Roger hid in the bushes. He tried to keep still in spite of the mosquitoes that found his blood so refreshing.
The forest dwellers began to come out for their evening drink. An impala, stepping daintily, was first. Then came two bushbuck and a topi. Two gorgeous white-and-black colobus monkeys came out, earnestly discussing something between themselves, drank, then, still arguing, disappeared into the forest.
Not all the creatures were forest animals. A giraffe, probably from the open valley between Mounts Mikeno and Karisimbi, was the next visitor. It could not reach the water with its long neck because its legs were longer. It had to spread its feet far apart in order to bring its body low enough so that its muzzle could touch the water.
A lion passing close by caught Roger’s scent and stopped. It looked at him long and hard, growling softly. But when Roger did not move it decided to let well enough alone and went on to the water’s edge.
When it came back it stopped again. Roger did not move a finger. The lion shook its head as if to say, ‘You know I could, if I wanted to,’ then plodded back into the woods.
The bushes parted and a great gorilla lumbered out. Roger’s heart beat faster. Perhaps this was Gog. It stopped to look him over. No, its features were not like Gog’s -Roger was to learn that no two gorillas look the same. Like people, every one is a bit different This one’s great face was blue-black, and there was no white streak down the back. And it would not stand there so calmly if it were being tortured by a bullet wound. It cupped its hands and began to slap its great chest. But it was quite half-hearted about it, for it was not accompanied by its family, and this other ape with clothes on showed no fear. So it dropped its football-sized hands to the ground, knuckles down, and went on to
the lake.
What a specimen - and Roger was letting it slip through bis fingers. He burned with a desire to throw his noose and
lasso this prize. But what then? The gorilla could turn on him and tear him to pieces. He could blow his whistle, but the gorilla had far more sense than the python - it would be gone before the men could arrive. Aching with frustration, Roger let ten thousand dollars walk by.
Something was happening at one of the python holes. A white nose was emerging. It couldn’t be the nose of a python, because the African python has a yellow and black head and a black or dark-brown body spotted with light-brown designs.
But this thing was white. It looked more like the nose of a polar bear. Of course that was absurd. What could it be?
Now the whole head was up and out. Roger could see plainly by the shape of the head that it was a python - but snow-white with blue eyes. A red tongue darted in and out The tongue, instead of being a stinger as many people supposed, was a sort of miniature radar outfit. Every snake was so equipped, whether poisonous or non-poisonous. Roger knew this very well, but still could not help being a bit nervous when he saw a snake’s darting tongue.
Another foot or two of the gleaming white snake emerged.
It was time to act. Roger put the whistle to his mouth. But no, he must not blow it yet, the snake would feel the sound and escape. Roger must first get the lasso over the head. Then he would blow for all he was worth.
It was necessary to step out of the bushes to get room to swing his rope. The snake, startled by his sudden appearance, raised its head.
Roger swung the lasso and let fly. The noose dropped over the head and neck and was drawn tight. The snake immediately whipped out of the hole and twisted itself into knots in an effort to get rid of the noose.
Now was the time to blow that whistle. But as Roger was bringing it to his mouth something new and exciting happened. The gorilla, returning from the water’s edge, is the uncertain light of dusk managed to step on a coil of the writhing snake.
Immediately the angry serpent threw its tail around the gorilla’s legs and its head darted upward in a spiral that wrapped the gorilla’s arms tightly to its sides and brought snake and ape face to face. The python’s jaws closed on the gorilla’s shoulder.
Roger acted swiftly. He leaped forward and whipped the rope round and round the two struggling forms. He was about to tie the end of the line to a tree. But he saw that this was not necessary. The gorilla’s feet were locked together. It could not take a single step.
The mighty arms might easily have broken the snake’s backbone if they had been free. But they too were locked.
The snake was constricting now. Every time the ape exhaled the coils tightened. No ordinary animal could stand this. The breath would be squeezed out of it and the heart would stop.
Roger, fearing that the gorilla would cave in and die, blew a lusty blast on his whistle.
Immediately there was a commotion at the cabin. The m
en burst out and came running, Hal in the lead.
If Hal expected to see his brother in the coils of the python, he was much relieved to find Roger sitting calmly on a rock looking out over the quiet lake. Near him, as still as a monument, stood a hairy monster wrapped in python and rope.
‘You’d better untwist them,’ Roger said, ‘before the ape gets all the life pinched out of it.’
Hal examined the monument. ‘I don’t think you need worry. Any ordinary animal would be dead by this time. But that rib cage is too stout to be crushed by any python.’
‘Then you’re not going to pull them apart?’
‘No. You’ve made a very neat package of them. I’d say you couldn’t have done it better if you had had them gift-wrapped. If we separate them, then we’ll have trouble with both of them. We’U take them just as they are. Mali, go get a net.’
When the net came it was wrapped quickly around both figures then tied fast.
‘Lay hold,’ Hal said, but the men stood back. Hal guessed the reason. The very rare white python is especially sacred. There is a tradition that the goddess Hali returns as a white snake every thousand years.
‘She will bring us disaster if we don’t treat her kindly,’ Toto said.
‘We’ll treat her very kindly,’ Hal assured him. ‘Any man who harms her will be punished. Come, take hold.’
Hal himself gripped the net near the upper end of the two-headed monster. Other men, encouraged by his example, hesitantly stepped forward and slipped their fingers through the stout meshes of the net. There was no room for more than ten men, five on each side.
Hal, whose scientific mind reduced facts to figures whenever possible, estimated that this number of hands would be enough. The gorilla must weigh five hundred pounds or more, and the snake added another two hundred. That made seven hundred pounds, or seventy for each of ten men. That shouldn’t be too much for anyone.
And yet it was not easy, for both animals began to struggle when they were tipped to a horizontal position and carried towards the camp. The snake released the gorilla’s shoulder and tried to get at Hal but was baffled by the net. Hal examined the ape’s shoulder and was glad to find that the heavy hair and tough hide had resisted the sharp teeth of the python. A bite that would have sunk an inch deep in a human shoulder had not even drawn blood. He could not believe his good luck. Two of the animals
10 Gorilla Adventure Page 4
