THE VIPER, OR ADDER. 69 



started for a walk to Kenilworth, about two miles from the 

 village where he lived. Under one part of the road flows 

 a small brook. The boy had his dog with him, and he 

 wished to see whether he would follow him across, as the 

 stream was shallow, and there were some large stones to 

 step upon. The opposite bank is rather steep, and there 

 were several large pieces of wood and roots projecting from 

 it. One of his leggings was caught in the roots and became 

 unfastened, whereupon he sat down on one of the stumps to 

 refasten it and watch his dog in the water, but not for more 

 than two or three minutes. They then started off again, and 

 had not gone more than a quarter of a mile before the boy 

 felt a sharp pain in his wrist. On looking at his wrist he 

 saw plainly, and to his great horror, three little punctures 

 and places, as though a nettle had stung him. His first 

 impression was that he had been bitten by an adder, and 

 he immediately tried to bite out the piece of flesh. The first 

 time he could not manage it, and after two unsuccessful 

 attempts, the third time he bit out the flesh sucked the 

 wounded part, and at intervals spitting out the poisoned 

 blood. 



Being fond of natural history, he remembered reading 

 some of the particulars about the bite of an adder, and was 

 frequently Ln the habit of expressing his fear of going where 

 the grass was long, lest he should meet with one. He went 

 on a little farther, but feeling faint and weak, and getting 

 frightened about the bite, he returned home. On arriving 

 there he could hardly speak, from excitement and the haste 

 he had made ; but his first words were : " Mother, I think 

 I have been bitten by an adder : though I did not see one, 

 I feel and see on my wrist the hard white swelling which 

 always comes after a bite." 



His mother immediately put his arm into very hot water, 

 and then applied a bread and oil poultice. When the doctor 

 arrived, he said all was done right, and the boy had saved 

 his own life by the courage and presence of mind he had 



