THE THIRST OF THE WOUNDED. 279 



As a rule however it may be stated, that a bullet 

 wound received, produces little actual pain at first 

 provided 110 bone or important muscle is struck; and 

 the shock to the nervous system before alluded to is 

 generally great or small in proportion to the severity 

 of the wound ; in all severe gunshot wounds however 

 it is generally very marked, and a partial paralysis 

 of the nervous system supervenes almost instantly 

 after the receipt of the injury; this condition is by the 

 French military surgeons known as " ebranlement. " 



The thirst of wounded men and animals which is so 

 marked a feature of these injuries is consequent upon 

 the loss of blood, in animals which have not been 

 hunted; but in the human subject the same thirst is 

 doubtless partly due to other causes preceding the 

 infliction of the wound, such as over-fatigue and 

 excitement, as well as to the hcemorrhage. * 



Trusting that our readers will pardon our reference 

 to a subject not altogether agreeable to contemplate, 

 we now pass to the consideration of other matters. 



There is no time when the value of the gift of 

 tracking and trailing comes in more usefully than 

 when following the traces of wounded game. It does 

 not at all follow that because an animal makes off at 

 top speed at first, that it is untouched; it may do so 

 and yet be found dead a short distance beyond the 

 point where it was last seen. Let us give an 

 instance, extracted from the writings of General 

 Newall: 



" I shot a large bear through the heart, which went off as 



* These matters will be found fully detailed by a leading British 

 authority, in Gunshot Injuries, their History and Treatment, by 

 Surgeon-General T. Longmore, 1877, pp. 145 to 155. 



