Cobra Under The Bonnet
Left the Nossob camp as the gates opened ( as always ) drove slowly down to just past Rooikop and spied a Cape Cobra trying hard to get up the bank. Great Photograph I thought drove up the right hand side of the road and started to take photos out of the left window. THEN Harry the 4×4 HERO drives past at speed, over the Cobras tail………and he carries on down the road totally unaware of what he has done, The cobra goes totally ape shit and raises its hood, then disappears….
Where you may ask? Looked to the front, to both sides, nothing… Oh shit. Is he in the car? We sat like idiots for about ten minutes discussing the next move, go back to Nossob and make fools of our selves thinking we had a Cobra in the car or drive on and hope for the best, Well it would be plan B, drive on and drown him in all the pools on the road. So for the next 50 kms we drove like demented fools into every pool, lake, stretch of water we could find, great fun, mud and water all over the car, drown him, or at least dislodge him if he was in the car.
Dikbaardskolk, picnic area, jump out of the cab, three feet sideways, like an athlete of no mean repute. Look under the car, around the back, under the left side, the spare wheel…..nothing…….
But as I came around the front of the vehicle, there, between the bonnet and the engine grid, was about three inches of snake sticking out . What the hell do I do with a Cape Cobra under my bonnet?
Well not being an International Snake expert I decide to go and ask the group of new found friends having a breakfast at one of the tables.’ Excuse me, I ask, anybody know anything about getting a Cobra out of an engine?
Swearing then more swearing. ‘You talk KAK’ the one gent says. ‘No I says, come look!’
The eight newly fed friends follow me to my vehicle. Lots of four letter words followed, most of the starting with ‘F’.
There then took place a ten minute discussion on how the f… to get this f…ing snake out of the car.
Braai tongs were brought to the fore; a gentle pull at the exposed area. The snake then disappears completely!
Oh f… what now?
Start the engine says one of the new found friends, open the bonnet latch. Ok in the car he goes, opens said bonnet latch and starts the engine, engine starts then a distinct THUD……. with one very damaged Cobra as a result.
All new found friends run in all directions as the Cobra is left swinging, caught by its tail in the fan belt, hissing and spitting under the car like there is no tomorrow.
New found friend lunges at the Cobra and pins its head on the ground and shouts ‘reverse reverse’. I did, dust and crap flying all over the place, watch as the sad half dead Cobra is taken out of its misery.
Moral of the story: never ever stop within ten yards of a Cobra on a road within the park
Your bowels tend to empty pretty soon.