THIRD JOURNEY. 135 



noon, and night. Luckily, Backer had a cow or two 

 upon the hill ; now, as heat and moisture are the two 

 principal virtues of a poultice, nothing could produce 

 those two qualities better than fresh cow-dung boiled : 

 had there been no cows there, I could have made it 

 with boiled grass and leaves. I now took entirely to 

 the hammock, placing the foot higher than the knee ; 

 this prevented it from throbbing, and was, indeed, the 

 only position in which I could be at ease. When the 

 inflammation was completely subdued, I applied a wet 

 cloth to the wound, and every now and then steeped 

 the foot in cold water duiing the day, and at night 

 again applied a poultice. The wound was now healing 

 fast, and in three weeks from the time of the accident 

 nothing but a scar remained ; so that I again sallied 

 forth sound and joyful, and said to myself 



" I, pedes quo t rapiunt et aura 

 Dum favet sol, et locus, i secundo 

 Online, et conto latebras, ut olim, 



Rumpe ferarum." 



Now, this contus was a tough light pole, eight feet long, 

 on the end of which was fixed an old bayonet. I never 

 went into the canoe without it ; it was of great use in 

 starting the beasts and snakes out of the hollow trees, 

 and in case of need, was an excellent defence. 



In 1819, I had the last conversation with 



Lastconver- _. _ _ . , ... , 



sation with sir bir Joseph .Banks. I saw with sorrow that 

 death was going to rob us of him. We talked 

 much of the present mode adopted by all museums in 

 stuffing quadrupeds, and condemned it as being very 

 imperfect : still we could not find out a better way ; and 

 at last concluded, that the lips and nose ought to be cut 

 off, and replaced with wax ; it being impossible to make 

 those parts appear like life, as they shrink to nothing, and 



