“Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name…”John 17:11

Thursday, 17 July 2008
How to track a snake.
We are constantly learning, continually amazed, and always in a state of awe. This afternoon there was some commotion just near the front verandah of the house. I heard children yelling and shrieking. As I ran to see what had happened, the children were beginning to quiet some, as their teacher, Teddy was already at their side. The children were in a large circle, with lots of frenzied chatter amongst themselves. Teddy explained they had seen a snake. The children are well educated in how to deal with snakes. And in case there is any doubt in your mind, the snakes here are large and all poisonous. The children saw the snake enter its hole in the ground, so one of the boys began breaking away the hard ground with a hoe, just below the surface, following the path of the snake’s hole. Teddy took a long piece of bamboo and very carefully probed the hole, reaching further and further into the hole with the stick, until only a small potion remained outside the hole. As he pulled the bamboo from the hole, his eyes said too much, and then we heard that long Zambian “OooooooOOOH”, with the intense inflection at the end. It’s something like Uh-oh, only much more serious. When I asked the meaning, he explained he was looking for the end of the hole, but none was found. This was serious. So, the careful digging and probing continued as I watched in fearful trepidation with the smaller children huddled close to me, tiny hands holding on to me – all of us hoping they would find the snake, and yet fearing the moment it would emerge from the hole. And so the boys took turns digging, continuing along the long path, still probing, and still no end to the hole. After about 30 minutes they stopped digging and several of the boys remained to watch the hole – hoe in hand, ready to strike when the snake appeared. I went back into the house (to continue scraping paint from the glass window panes), and the children not in school returned to their play time outside. Ron remained with the boys, keeping a watchful eye on the hole. They did see the snake peek out of the hole, just long enough to spot them and quickly retreat back into the depths of its home. It wasn’t long until we heard screams again. This time as I went out I saw a large group of children near the termite mound (a favorite resting place for the snakes) yelling and throwing rocks and sticks. And there it was. Teddy said it was a garden snake, about two meters long, mortally wounded by a rock, but still moving a little. Unfortunately, this was not the snake spotted earlier. They saw this one coming from the opposite direction. The vigil continued at the site of the hole, and so did the digging and probing. Much to my dismay, the snake did not appear. That hole is a little too close for comfort. Further discussion with Teddy revealed that this type of snake is indeed poisonous but will not climb walls. I was afraid it would come in the window where a pane of glass is missing. But it will slither in through any open doors or cracks large enough for them to fit through. The good news is they really don’t like people. The bad news is they are plentiful. Did I mention yet that we have seen too many snakes – dead, alive, and skins only? Godwin, the chairman of George was very reassuring. He said that these garden snakes or house snakes (I think that tells it all!) really don’t come in the house often, and if they do you just beat them with a stick. It’s the black mambas that like to come inside. Now that’s comforting! I think I’ll say an extra prayer and take a sleeping pill tonight, or maybe I’ll just lie awake all night shining my flashlight on the rafters over my bed. I haven't quite decided yet.