The act of throwing a log of wood at the snake was definitely, quite ironical. The poet was quite fascinated by the presence of the snake at the water-trough. He considered him a silent guest who had come there to seek his hospitality. But he did not like the idea of the snake’s disappearing into that ‘horrid-black’ hole again. His conscience revolted and as a protest he threw a log of wood at the snake. Ironically, his ‘vulgar’ and ‘mean’ act which he committed in a senseless rush of blood resembled the act of the ancient mariner of the Coleridge’s poem.
