THE VAMPYRE EAT. 101 



for the surgeon, with a fire-brand in one hand, and 

 all over besmeared with gore; to which, if added 

 my pale face, short hair, and tattered apparel, he 

 might well ask the question, 



* Be tliou a spirit of health, or goblin clamn'd, 



* Bring with thee airs of heav'n, or blasts from licU 1' 



The mystery, however, was, that I had been bitten 

 by the Vampyre^ or Spectre of Guiana, wJiich is 

 also called the Flying Dog of New Spain, and by 

 the Spaniards Perro-voIaJor ; this is no other than 

 a Bat, of a monstrous size, that bucks the blood 

 from men and cattle while they are fast asleep, even 

 sometimes till they die ; and as the manner in 

 which they proceed is truly wonderful, I shall en- 

 deavour to give a distinct account of it. — Knowing, 

 by*instinct, that the person they intend to attack is 

 in a sound slumber, they generally alight near the 

 feet, where, while the creature continues fanning 

 with his enormous wings, which keeps one cool, he 

 bites a piece out of the tip of the great toe, so very 

 small mdced, that the head of a pin conld scarcely 

 be received into the wound, which is consequently 

 not painful : yet through this orifice he continues to 

 suck tlie blood, until he is obliged to disgorge. 

 He then begins again, and thus continues suck- 

 ing and disgorging till he is scj.rccly able to fly, and 

 the sufferer has often been known to sleep from 

 time into eternity. Cattle they generally bite in 

 the ear, but always in places where the blood flows 

 spontaneously. Having applied tobacco ashes as 

 the best remedy, and washed the gore from myself 

 and my hammock, I observed several small heaps of 



H3 



