36 BUSH-TICK. 



never exceeding seventy-five degrees in the shade at noon. 

 The sand, however, was a cruel annoyance, entering into 

 every particle of food, and penetrating our clothes to the 

 very skin. But we were subjected to a still more formidable 

 inconvenience ; for, besides myriads of fleas, our encampment 

 swarmed with a species of bush-tick, whose bite was so se- 

 vere and irritating as almost to drive us mad. To escape, 

 if possible, the horrible persecutions of these bloodthirsty 

 creatures, I took refuge one night in the cart, and was con- 

 gratulating myself on having at last secured a place free 

 from their attacks. But I was mistaken. I had not been 

 long asleep before I was awakened by a disagreeable irrita- 

 tion over my whole body, which shortly became intolerable ; 

 and, notwithstanding the night air was very sharp, and the 

 dew heavy, I cast off all my clothes, and rolled on the icy- 

 cold sand till the blood flowed freely from every pore. 

 Strange as it may appear, I found this expedient serviceable. 



On another occasion, a bush-tick, but of a still more pois- 

 onous species, attached itself to one of my feet ; and, though 

 a stinging sensation was produced, I never thought of exam- 

 ining the part, till one day, when enjoying the unusual lux- 

 ury of a cold bath, I accidentally discovered the intruder 

 deeply buried in the flesh, and it was only with very great 

 pain that I succeeded in extracting it, or rather its body, for 

 the head remained in the wound. The poisonous effect of 

 its bite was so acrimonious as to cause partial lameness for 

 three following months ! 



The bush-tick does not confine its attacks to men only, for 

 it attaches itself with even greater pertinacity to the inferior 

 animals. Many a poor dog have I seen killed by its relent- 

 less persecutions ; and even the sturdy ox has been known to 

 succumb under the poisonous influence of these insects.* 



* "When a bush-tick is found attached to any part of the body of a 

 man, the simplest and the most effectual way of getting rid of it, 

 without any disagreeable result, is to anoint the place to which the 



