Snakes, wild dogs, large fish...the Senegalese are afraid of nothing. Until it comes to the humble, harmless gecko which, by Senegalese lore, is the most dangerous of all poisonous beasts.

I have already written about the black lizard which appeared one morning, uninvited, in my bedroom. At 1 this morning, I was brushing my teeth when I heard a crash. I went into the kitchen and saw a small pile of dirt lying just beneath the chimney which runs from my ceiling to, presumably, the roof. And I was just in time to see a large white tail disappear under the fridge; I slammed the door and stood in the hallway wondering what on earth I was going to do.

Eventually I went downstairs in the dark and found Phillippe, our large guard who sleeps across the door at night and looks like the kind of man who couldn't possibly be afraid of anything. I told him the situation, he looked unsure, but not wanting to appear fearful, I suspect, grabbed a wooden broom and said, "come on". We took the lift upstairs and I hid outside while Phillippe crept into the kitchen, broom in hand.

There was silence. Eventually he called me in and said, conspiratorially, "he's hiding under the fridge. I don't want to make him come out. If those things even get anywhere near your skin, it will make you very ill. Better wait till morning and ask Cisse."

Cisse is the day guard. He was the one to fish the last lizard out. He is in the kitchen now, thumping items of furniture around and giving the occasional cry. I wonder if the gecko will come out with Cisse in its hand?