Suicide or Hypnosis? 



of it, wood-cutters in particular, who from 

 time to time fall victims to their imprudence. 

 One of them tells me the following story: 



" After having my dinner, I was dozing 

 for a moment among my faggots, when I 

 was roused by a sharp pain. It was like the 

 prick of a red-hot needle. I clapped my 

 hand to the place. Sure enough, there was 

 something moving! A Scorpion had crept 

 under my trousers and stung me in the lower 

 part of the calf. The ugly beast was full 

 as long as my finger. Like that, sir, like 

 that!" 



And, adding gesture to speech, the worthy 

 man extended his great fore-finger. This 

 size did not surprise me : while insect-hunting, 

 I have seen Scorpions as large. 



" I wanted to go on with my work," he 

 continued, " but I came out in a cold sweat; 

 and my leg swelled up so you could see it 

 swelling. It got as big as that, sir, as big 

 as that." 



More mimicry. Our friend spreads his 

 two hands round his leg, at a distance, so as 

 to denote the girth of a small barrel: 



" Yes, like that, sir, like that; I had great 

 trouble to get home, though it was only half 

 a mile away. The swelling crept up and up. 

 Next day it had got so high." 

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