60 HOT IRON VERSUS LIGATURES. 



fectly liopeless, and he was given up by all 

 his comrades, who thought of httle else than 

 to consign him to the grave. 



But being unwilling to resign himseh" to the 

 fate which appeared frowning over him, with- 

 out a last eftbrt, he obtained the consent of 

 two or three of the party, who undertook to 

 amputate his arm merely to gratify the wishes 

 of the dying rnan ; for in such a Hght they 

 viewed Mm. Their only 'case of instru- 

 ments' consisted of a handsaw, a butcher's 

 knife and a large hon bolt The teeth of the 

 saw being considered too coarse, they went to 

 work, and soon had a set of fine teeth filed on 

 the back. The knife havin«r been v/hetted 



keen, and the iron bolt laid upon the fire, they 

 comrnenced the operation: and in less ti are 

 Hian it takes to tell it, the arm was opened 

 round to the bone, which was almost in an 

 instant sawed off; and with the whizzing hot 

 iron the whole stump was so effectually sear- 

 ed as to close the arteries completely. Band- 

 ages were now applied, and the company pro- 

 ceeded on their journey as though notliino- had 

 occurred. The arm commenced heahn«- ra- 

 pidly and in a few weeks the patient was 

 sound and well, and is perhaps still Ji^dno- to 

 bear witness to the superiority of the ' hot iron' 

 over hgatures, in ' taking up' arteries. 



On the following day our route lay mostly 

 over a level plain, which usuallv teems with 

 buffalo, and is beautifully adapted to the 

 chase. At the distance of about fifteen miles, 

 he attention of the traveller is directed to the 



