THE CHEGOE OF GUIANA. 449 



evening, in order to counteract the career of this extraordinary insect. 

 Occasionally, at one overhauling, I have broken up no less than four 

 of its establishments under the toe-nails. 



In 1825, a day or two before I left Guiana, wishful to try how this 

 puny creature and myself would agree during a sea-voyage, I pur- 

 posely went to a place where it abounded, not doubting but that 

 some needy individual of its tribe would attempt to better its condition. 

 Erelong a pleasant and agreeable kind of itching under the bend of 

 the great toe informed me that a chegoe had bored for a settlement. 

 In three days after we had sailed, a change of colour took place 

 in the skin, just at the spot where the chegoe had entered, appearing 

 somewhat like a blue pea. By the time we were in the latitude of 

 Antigua, my guest had become insupportable ; and I saw there was 

 an immediate necessity for his discharge. Wherefore, I turned him 

 and his numerous family adrift, and poured spirits of turpentine into 

 the cavity which they had occupied, in order to prevent the remotest 

 chance of a regeneration. 



The Indian and negro wenches perform the operation of extracting 

 chegoes with surprising skill. They take a pin, and, by a very slow 

 process, they lay the part bare, and contrive to work quite round the 

 bag which contains the chegoe and its offspring. As soon as this 

 has been effected, they turn the bag out, whole and uninjured ; by 

 which means none are left in the hole to form a new colony. For 

 my own part, I never trouble these gentle operators ; although I have 

 looked on many a time, and admired their exquisite skill, whilst they 

 were fingering the toes of my acquaintance. Once, however, I had 

 it not in my power to be my own surgeon, and on that occasion, a 

 faithful old negro performed the friendly office. I was descending 

 the Demerara, with an inveterate tertian ague ; and I was so much 

 exhausted by sitting upright in the canoe, that I had no sooner got 

 ashore at the Indian's hut, than I lay down on the ground at full 

 length. Sickness had pressed so heavily on me, that I was callous 

 to the well-known feeling which the chegoe causes. I was quite un- 

 conscious that there was nine thriving nests of chegoes in my back, 

 until one was accidently observed by the old negro ; and this led to 

 the discovery of the rest. I handed him my penknife, and told him 

 to start the intruders. Sick as I was, I wished an artist were present 



2 F 



