oo4 HUNTING IN THE JUNGLE. 



liis knife, and (juick as thought laid the black band- 

 open its entire length, revealing the tortured features 

 and wounded forehead of his countryman beneath. For 

 it was one of the terrible reptiles of the country that 

 had fallen, like a leech, upon the poor fellow, and was 

 slowly sucking away his life-blood. As it dropped off 

 we saw six large vv'ounds, from which the blood flowed 

 freely, on the guide's face, and a real bandage was im- 

 mediately applied, and such prompt remedies adminis- 

 tered as experience had taught ; for delay is death. 

 After this accident naturally enough the hunt was 

 brought to a sudden end, and we turned our horses 

 seaward, our journey enlivened by stories of this fright- 

 ful scourge, which, fortunately, is as rare as it is terri- 

 ble ; indeed, my host said that in twenty years of 

 knocking round the bush, this was but the third he 

 had seen. And m}' tempting offer of a year's supply of 

 rum and tobacco to any native who would brins; me 

 a specimen alive, failed to produce one within the next 

 two weeks, during which I remained in the country. 



The next morning as we were preparing to mount, 

 one of the men called our attention to a swarm of 

 bees, and a very large one, on a branch of mimosa, 

 their legs covered with the rich pollen, and apparently 

 quite forgetful of their hive. Each native immediately 

 set to work making himself a tiny cage from reeds ; 

 and into this, with marvellous skill, and the aid of 

 some bit of bloom particularly appetizing to these 



