TREATMENT OE Sx\AKE-BITE 258 



been bitten by a snake just above the ankle. The 

 punctures made by the fangs were plainly discernible, 

 but I noticed that there was no swelling whatever, so 

 that I suspected he must have been bitten by a non- 

 venomous species, or that the penetration of the fangs 

 had been so slight that no poison had been injected into 

 the wound. To my mind the man appeared to be suffer- 

 ing from acute fright only, but his companions thought 

 otherwise, and he certainly behaved as if his last hour 

 had come. The friends of the terror-stricken man 

 subjected him to the approved treatment for snake-bite. 

 It was a regular torture. Eamon Eamirez directed the 

 operations, assisted by the others, who seemed to take a 

 cruel delight in the pain they inflicted. A strong creeper 

 was wound round the sufferer's thigh above the knee, the 

 binding being so tight that the creeper actually cut into 

 the flesh. Then with a live coal one of the operators 

 cauterised the injured spot until the patient howled with 

 pain. A mixture of chewed tobacco and crushed garlic 

 was rubbed into the wound, which was then bound up. 

 After such severe handling it is not to be wondered at 

 that the poor devil moaned throughout the night. 

 Although he evidently suffered intensely, he had become 

 quite easy in his mind, so strong was his faith in the 

 treatment he had undergone. 



Api'il 29. — Mateo obstinately refused to be moved, 

 although I offered to make a comfortable place in the 

 boat for him. He said that everyone knew that to travel 

 over water on the day after having been bitten by a 

 snake meant death. The other men backed him up, so 

 there was no help for it but to remain where we were, 

 wasting valuable time, to suit the whims of my super- 

 stitious companions. By dint of arguing with the men 



