62 SHORT STALKS 



metres of where lie's tire'd at, lie's aiissi bon cjue 

 manque'd." 



The valley of Liviguo is so cut off from the rest of the 

 world, that the village priest is physician of the bodies as 

 well as the souls of his Hock. More than once I have had 

 to call in his services. My companion in 1874, who was 

 rather inexperienced, was suffering from an ailment familiar 

 to Alpine climbers fresh out from England. Unknown to 

 me this had continued for several days. Our remedies 

 were not sufficiently potent, and prompt measures were 

 necessary, or our hunting ground must be abandoned in 

 search of medical aid. I sought the tonsured apothecary, 

 who received me with delightful bonhomie in his den, 

 which smelt, about half and half, of old l)ooks and rhubarb. 

 In my finest Italian I furnished the learned man with a 

 diagnosis of the case. Seizing mv hand, the cure assured 

 me that I need be in no further anxiety ; that he had the 

 very thing, a remedy which was suro, swo. 



I suppose that the present generation has advanced 

 beyond Seidlitz powders and knows not that ancient 

 remedy. For the benefit of Jin-de-siccle youths, 1 may 

 mention that the powders in rpiestion were contained in 

 white and blue })a[)ers, and that it took one of each colour 

 to make a draught. This was what the Padre produced, 

 but in parcels of so portentous a size as were never seen 

 before, doubtless designed for the iron stomachs of his 

 mountaineers. One would say that such a mass of ebulles- 

 cent material could not be administered to an ()rdiiiary 

 mortal without something happening, but if this double- 

 barrelled remedv failed, I was to trv another shot at 

 3 o'clock in the morning. At 6 a.m. I think half the 



