218 BOTANICAL INFORMATION. 



peculiarly pleasing and simple manners, plied us with many 

 inquiries about our native country, concerning which they 

 entertained many strange ideas. The next morning the 

 master of the house kindly helped us to load our mules; but 

 when on the point of starting, we missed one Arriero Miguel, 

 whose absence we had not previously remarked. After seek- 

 ing him a long time, we found him lying under a tree, in a 

 state of apathy and apparently mental confusion. On in- 

 quiring the cause, he informed us with some difficulty, that 

 he feared while searching for the mules, that he had been 

 bitten by a serpent in the tall grass, and to our great distress, 

 we observed a wound and swellinor on each side of his foot, 

 which certainly appeared to proceed from the sting of some 

 venomous creature. We instantly administered large doses 

 of Eau de luce, with carbonate of Ammonia, and oil of amber, 

 dissolved in a solution of soda ; we scarified the wounds, 

 burnt them with gunpowder first, and then with a red hot 

 iron ; endeavouring all the while, by the most soothing and 

 encouraging words, to calm his mental distress. The injured 

 part did not seem much swollen ; but the patient's pulse was 

 unusually violent and full, his eyes fixed, half-closed, and 

 suffused with blood, and his voice tremulous and feeble. He 

 complained of painful contractions in the joints, giddiness 

 and pain in the head and back, and such was his presenti- 

 ment of approaching dissolution, that he yielded very unwil- 

 lingly to the remedies proposed, and asked for nothing but 

 to be left in peace. According to all appearance, the unfor- 

 tunate man had been bitten some time previous to our dis- 

 covering him, and the terrible effects of the poison had al- 

 ready sapped the foundations of life in his large and power- 

 ful frame. 



In compliance with the desire he expressed, which was 

 seconded by the hospitable Fazendeiros, we left him under 

 their charge, as the time required for his perfect recovery, 

 which in this country is believed not to take place in less 

 than forty days, was too great to allow of our waiting for 

 him. We sent for a Curadeiro, gave him the necessary 



