As far as the eye could see, the land had become a watery kingdom; rooftops emerged at dawn and vanished again by dusk.
It was not only humans who fled to high ground to escape the flood, but birds and beasts as well. Snakes, insects, rats, wild dogs, and birds huddled on the heights, staring fearfully at the boundless cold water, at a loss. From time to time, small beasts swam ashore in exhaustion. Animals gathered together, and creatures rarely seen before could now be found on the hillsides.
The people taking refuge on the mountains found an opportunity to make a fortune. Someone was buying all kinds of snakes at high prices. Any snake would do—grass snakes, highly venomous snakes, even hatchlings. The more, the better, with no limit on quantity.
The mountains and hills had been divided by the flood into one island after another. Many people carried sacks through the rain, catching wild snakes.
All manner of snakes were caught...
They were stuffed into sacks and weighed by the pound. All it took was spreading the word through the villages, and vast numbers of snakes would soon be supplied. In only a few days, enough wild snakes had been purchased. Compared to other animals, snakes were easier to transport; they did not need feeding in the short term, nor was there any need to worry about insufficient space.
Wooden boats carried the wild snakes to the abandoned small county town, which stood like a lonely island.
Burly men carried burlap sacks into a high-walled building at the center of town, untied them, and poured the snakes inside.
The view followed one bare-chested burly man as he lifted a burlap sack from the riverbank, ran swiftly across wooden planks toward the town, and joined the countless people rushing