Tuesday 27 November 2012

Chapter 20 Snakebite

While shunting at a siding in Northern Rhodesia, a fireman was overcome by gipo guts. Asking the crew to carry on he ran to a toilet next to the track. This was a bucket affair and he sat down and started his business.

Suddenly he felt a snake bite him on his backside. Screaming he ran from the toilet to the locomotive and showed the driver the marks of the bite. Realising that he could die from the venom they cut off the load of the train and sped off to the nearest station and doctor. A person staying at the siding phoned the station and asked them to get a doctor to standby and wait for the train. The driver opened the throttle wide to get to the station as quick as possible.

Meanwhile the stationmaster asked the person who phoned to go to try and find the snake. He walked to the toilet and opened the flap at the rear of the toilet and was surprised to see a hen brooding on some eggs.

When the loco arrived at the station, the driver was disgusted to see the doctor and stationmaster rolling on the ground with laughter while this poor fireman was dying from snakebite.

Hen pecked was the verdict of the doctor.



Ref. Rhodesia

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