MMM Publications 1943                                 Ireland                                         05.09.2026

Editor’a Note: The following stories were told in days before anti-snake venom was discovered. They reflect the fear the local people had of snakes rather than scientific accuracy.

In some parts of Africa there are a great many snakes, some poisonous and some non-poisonous. People hate them and kill every snake they meet for they are often the cause of many tragedies.

The deadliest snake in Africa is the black mamba which is also a very aggressive snake and will attack even when not provoked. He can travel faster than a horse can gallop but fortunately his is not very common. There is no antidote to the bite of a black mamba and a person bitten by one dies in about half an hour.

A woman was hoeing in her field with the baby asleep on her back. A little later she found the baby dead with the tell-tale fang marks on its body.

Another time one of our Sisters was going on a journey, and, contrary to local customm, she preceded her boy who was carrying her luggage. As she went along the path she noticed lying across the path something that she thought was a stick and she stepped over it. But the boy walking behind her was struck by the mamba and died twenty minutes later before she could get either a priest or medical aid.

Then there were the pythons… One day on one of our mission stations a python made his way into the pantry and curled up on the top of a large cupboard. He was a fine big fellow, so we called Luba who was our handyman and a hunter of repute. He called in some men from the village who arrived with spears, cutlasses and the full hunting dress to despatch the snake. But before they did this, they executed an unusual hunting dance in which they went through in mimicry all they were about to do in killing the snake. They arranged themselves in a circle, crouching low, and then leapt into the air uttering blood curdling cries and brandishing their weapons. After this play-acting, they poked the snake off his comfortable bed on the top of the cupboard and repeated the performance in real earnest.

Finally, they skinned the snake and cut up its body into strips on which they feasted. We also partook of the snake meat. It is very tough but after boiling for twenty-four hours it tasted rather like pork and is a white meat. The skin makes a beautiful leather and is very valuable.