"Snakes, I hate snakes."

The Rendille attribute various supernatural powers to specific clans. These powers, I'm afraid to say, are all negative; used primarily as a way to get revenge on the offending clan or person of another clan. For example, Chawle, my clan, is said to have the power to curse food. I've heard a story that there was a man once who bought a leg of sheep, and after his purchase he set it down for just for a moment to chat with a friend. As they were talking a huge crow came and flew off with the man's meat! The poor bird probably never knew what hit him; as soon as it landed several yards away, it bit into the meat and promptly keeled over, legs up.

Traditional Rendille believe that the clan of Rongumo has the power to control snakes. They will send snakes to harass or kill their enemies, so whenever there's a snake problem one must seriously reconsider that petty argument or goat you stole.

I don't believe a word of it, but the Rendille will swear on the curses. So, according to them, someone in Rongumo has been really upset lately.

A few weeks ago, Abaya Esymbasele found a baby puff adder hanging out on our back porch. Upon hearing banging, we opened the door and found him beating the thing dead with a broom. One down.


Then, at the beginning of the week, Mr. Abdey (ironically, a self-proclaimed conservationist) tracked a huge puff adder from just outside the gates of our school and bludgeoned it to death as it attempted to crawl into someone's home in town. 2 down. He brought it into our office in a plastic bag and simply said, "I caught a snake."

No, this is not a snake, Abdey. This is a demon viper whose presence in my office is highly unappreciated. Abdey laid it out on the concrete of our tennis court and it turned out to be at least a yard and a half long and looked as if it had recently swallowed an R.O.U.S.

The kids did a dissection of the thing, looked at its poison-filled fangs, and then skinned it. I bet you Abdey will duct-tape the skin to his wall, next to his petrified scorpion.

I also bet that someone in Rongumo is kicking themselves for not sending a bigger snake.