PHOTOTYPESETTING S. LITHOGRAPHIC ORIGINATIONBOOKSET137 RhodeCPVT.] LTD.St. P.O. Box 1994, BulawayoThe eldest daughter, who was sixteen or seventeen at the time, was very musical. In theevenings she used to close the door of the parlour and play the piano alone to herself in thegloaming. Occasionally after one of these sessions she would emerge looking puzzledroom was haunted. She used to get the feelingand uneasy to say that'she was sure that thethat someone or something was in the roomusually agitated, claiming that she hadas it hung round the piano stool. No onewas imaginatively inclined, and at an agewith plowing colours. One hot afternoonand locked the door feeling as manydidn't get away from it all for fiveShe lay down on the sofa, put up herAfter a few moments she heard a rustletantiy she opened her eyes, to see thepiano top. Too surpnsed towhile a long and veryeased itself up onlike polishedhaddenS ESERRVWith grace-the snake slidthe piano till it came toit lifted its head, nosed its wayand presently Mrs. Bain heard the softthe mystery of the water in the violetssomehow, that snakes are forever beingworld. They, too, have their fair share ofby other creatures. Nor are they immunespecies of tick that feeds on snakes andonce watched a snake being killed by apresumably to steal eggs or chicks, but waswho cackled out a warning to her sisters,surrounded by a circle of murderous hens. Noand struck out there was always one hencEwith her, and once she burst dirt more thandistinctly felt something stirring her long skirtpaid much attention to her stories, for shewhen a girl likes to tint her everyday lifeMrs. Bain retired to the parlour herself,mothers have before and since, that if sheminutes, something was going to snap,feet closed her eyes and tried to relax,from the direction of the piano. Reluc-head of a snake peeping over themove, she lay absolutely stillbeautiful green snaketo the lid. it lookedjade and itlighteyes.ful aplombconfidently alongthe bowl of violets. Herebetween the leaves and flowers,sound of the snake drinking. So at lastwas explained! It strikes me as unjustrepresented as the villains of the animalhardship and are preyed on mercilesslyto parasites Š there is a particularsnakes alone. My brother-in-law, Lloyd,flock of hens. It had entered the fowl-runspotted by one of the bright-eyed ladiesand in no time at all the snake wasmatter how desperately the snake whirledbehind it ready to stab it with her beak. AfterCEeach strike the snake has a moment of helplessness while it gathers its coils toaetheronce more, and the hens were quick to seize this advantage. They finally succeeded in pecking itto death I once had a white leghorn called Pollen who could devoure a snake whole.Acknowledgements to C. Emily Dibb for the use of above text from her book "Ivory, Apes & Peacocks"LITHOGRAPHIC PRINTINGBOOKPRINT137 Rhodei(PVT.J LTD.St., P.O. Box 1994, Bulawayo194