25. The Monster Black Snake

25. THE MONSTER BLACK SNAKE (34)

A big black snake used to pursue men and kill them. Its cry was like that of a stallion. After it had kept on chasing and killing men for some time a man who could run well and was traveling about the country said, "I will run away from it and kill it." "You can not do it," they said. "I certainly can," he answered. While he was traveling along he heard the snake coming up behind him and making a noise like a stallion He heard it at a distance and ran away. And as he ran he zigzagged back and forth. He kept on going in that way until, at the last turn, he came to a tree upon the other side of which he had a gun. When the snake went around the tree after this man he stopped and shot it in the ear so that it fell dead. That is all.