328 The Gardens of the Sun. [ch. xvi. 



treat in a hot land, but it must be remembered that to 

 bathe in this way when exhausted or feverish is in the 

 highest degree suicidal. 



Medicines. — In nearly all towns and colonies good 

 medical advice is obtainable, and^ as a rule, preferable to 

 self-help. On long inland journeys, however, one must 

 frequently trust to one's own resources, and to secure a 

 supply of medicines must be one of the traveller's first 

 cares. The three most useful of all medicines for travel- 

 lers, prospectors, hunters, or emigrants, are Cockle's 

 pills, CoUis Brown's chlorodyne, and Howard's sulphate 

 of quinine. These and a bottle of brandy must always 

 be taken, together with a roll of sticking-plaster, needles, 

 silk thread, and a few long bandages. Cold compresses 

 are easUy made of towels, and a bottle of mustard may be 

 useful for poultices on occasion. A small bottle of car- 

 bolic acid is useful for mixing with oil as a dressing for 

 mosquito bites, scratches, or other flesh-wounds. One 

 part of acid to fifteen or twenty parts of oil is a good 

 proportion for ordinary use. All travellers, before leav- 

 ing the beaten track of civilisation, should acquire some 

 knowledge of bone-setting. The whole thing is easy, but 

 nothing short of actual demonstrations can teach the 

 elements of the art. A broken limb in the forest a 

 month's journey from professional aid is a serious thing, 

 and must always be regarded as a possibility. The only 

 thing to be done is to reach some shelter where a stay 

 can be made, and then to get the limb into position as 

 near as possible like its uninjured fellow, and of the same 

 length. This question of length is most important — in 

 the leg especially — or a limping gait is sure to follow 

 after the bones have united. Once in the right position, 

 the thing is to secure it with a splint and bandages. A 



