Snakes
When I came to Africa I thought that I was reasonably accustomed to snakes, but it was not long that I soon discovered that things were very different. In India where I served in the War there was only one really vicious and dangerous snake the King Cobra . This is a fearsome creature than can grow to about 12 foot in length and has a large hood with a bite that has a neurotoxin that kills you almost immediately. Unlike its smaller and more common brother it is fortunately very rare living mostly in cool moist caves or similar places. It will however attack immediately with fatal results. In Ceylon where I grew up it is not found, and the poisonous snakes there such as the ordinary cobra, vipers etc do not normally attack.
In Africa however there are several really big snakes. There is the Ringals and the Egyptian Grey Cobra both of which spit as well as 2 extremely dangerous non – spitting snakes the green and black mamba. My first meeting with a mamba was quite remarkable. It was whilst on a farm I had gone out at midday to try and shoot a frankolin with my .22 as we had nothing to eat. Now frankolin at midday tend to find a shady spot under a tree or shrub and make a sand bath for themselves and in so doing they make a scratching sound, and walking quietly you can hear the crackling. On hearing a rustling near a path opposite a dried up stream bed about 2 or 3 feet wide with a sandy bottom I left the path and crept down the stream-bed , and I could hear a slight rustle approaching parallel to the main road so it presumably must cross the stream at some point. I went about 25 yds on slowly and waited all tense when suddenly I saw two green mambas moving steadily along parallel to the road about 20 yards away. They were about 5 yards apart and were standing on their tails with their heads approximately 5 ft in the air. The body between the head and the part that was in contact with the ground was held absolutely rigid. It was a pretty snake not more than about ½ inch across his neck and perhaps 1 inch lower down with a length of about 8 – 9foot. They moved gracefully, swaying slightly in an elegant manner, their heads watching at every point of interest in a very alert manner. As they moved and came upon an obstacle, say a bush of about 3- 4 foot high they would simply pass right over it and go down the other side in more or less a straight line. Had there been anything of interest between them such as a lizard or mouse they would have pounced on it immediately and obviously each was flushing prey out for the other. The speed these snakes can move is quite remarkable, and they are reputed to keep up with a horse. Anyway on that first encounter I was most impressed by them and realised that they must be treated with the greatest of respect. On a much later occasion when in a boat, I met a green mamba swimming across a wide river and so followed him towards the shore. As it reached the bank it literally leapt right out of the water onto the grass about 5 foot away. The speed that he moved was so fast that I could hardly see the sudden movement.
Some of the most unpleasant snakes are those that spit such as spitting cobras. A chap I knew who had poor eyesight and always wore glasses, was driving down a dirt road
And stopped because in the middle of the road was what he first thought was a meerkat (similar to a ferret or mongoose) sitting upright looking at him. He slowed to one side to take a closer look and discovered that in fact it was an upright spitting cobra that instantly spat at him . This cobra had been waiting watching the land rover with his hood all raised ready to strike, and unlike most animals was able to differentiate his body apart from the vehicle, and without moving spat at him. He was hit directly in the face and luckily his glasses saved his eyes, but in the sudden shock
