SOUTH AMERICA. 183 



tranquillity of the planter's house, iust at that THIRD 



1 J J JOURNEY. 



unfortunate hour, the coushie ants were passing 



across the seat of Cloacina's temple ; he had 

 never dreamed of this ; and so, turning his face 

 to the door, he placed himself in the usual situation 

 which the votaries of the goddess generally take. 

 Had a lighted match dropped upon a pound 

 of gunpowder, as he afterwards remarked, it 

 could not have caused a greater recoil. Up he 

 jumped, and forced his way out, roaring for help 

 and for a light, for he was worried alive by ten 

 thousand devils. The fact is, he had sat down 

 upon an intervening body of coushie ants. Many 

 of those which escaped being crushed to death, 

 turned again ; and, in revenge, stung the unin- 

 tentional intruder most severely. The watchman 

 had fallen asleep, and it was some time before 

 a light could be procured, the fire having gone 

 out ; in the mean time* the poor gentleman was 

 suffering an indescribable martyrdom, and would 

 have found himself more at home in the Augean 

 stable than in the planter's house. 



I had often wished to have been once sucked 

 by the vampire, in order that I might have it 

 in my power to say it had really happened to me. 

 There can be no pain in the operation, for the 

 patient is always asleep when the vampire is 

 sucking him ; and as for the loss of a few ounces 

 of blood, that would be a trifle in the long run. 

 Many a night have I slept with my foot out of the 



