Friday, July 1, 2011

Viper

4 comments:

John Robert Mallernee said...

Dr. Jarlsberg:

Were you in Viet Nam?

That's the only time and place I ever heard of the "two step" viper.

The "two step" viper is the bamboo viper, a very small green snake that is very difficult to see until it's too late.

I saw one once on a patrol, but nobody was bitten.

Thank you.

John Robert Mallernee
Armed Forces Retirement Home
Gulfport, Mississippi 39507

Stilton Jarlsberg said...

@John Robert Mallernee- I wasn't in Vietnam; I was the right age, but had a very high lottery number. I can't recall if I heard about the "two step" viper from one of my friends who served, or if I picked up on it elsewhere. But since the pharmacist in the cartoon has previously shown a perverse interest in natural toxins, I thought it would be right up his alley!

Kurt said...

Reminds me of:

I was sad because I had no shoes

until I met a man who had no feet.

So I asked him, "Hey, do you have any shoes you aren't using now?"

Stilton Jarlsberg said...

@Kurt- That's a beautiful and touching story.