276 IN THE WILDS OF SOUTH AMERICA 



tesy throughout our years of travel in the southern conti- 

 nent, and to whose assistance we are so heavily indebted 

 for the success that attended our efforts; but to do so 

 would fill the pages of a volume several times the size of 

 this one without leaving space for my narrative. 



All of the railroad men boarded with an Englishman named 

 Cole and his wife. The Coles were a middle-aged couple 

 who had spent the greater part of their lives together trav- 

 elling around the world. Among other places, they had 

 lived in India and in Africa. They had a score of parrots, 

 cockatoos, and dogs that accompanied them in k\l their 

 wanderings; caring for this miniature menagerie must have 

 been a troublesome job while moving from place to place, 

 but they took the place of children and were looked after 

 just as tenderly. Cole claimed that he was the only man 

 on earth who had been bitten by a black mamba — a species 

 of giant cobra — and lived to tell the tale. He was follow- 

 ing a path through the silent jungle one day at dusk when 

 a black form lunged down upon him from some branches 

 that overhung the trail; at the same tune he felt a dull, 

 throbbing pain in his left arm, and realized what had oc- 

 curred. His first impulse was to flee in terror; however, 

 better judgment prevailed and he opened and sucked the 

 wound and applied a tourniquet above it. Then he hurried 

 home and drank large quantities of ammonia and also ap- 

 plied some to his arm. He stated that he was very ill for 

 several weeks but that persistent use of the ammonia over- 

 came the effects of the poison and he gradually recovered. 



Through the kindness of our new friends we secured 

 hand-cars on which to resume the journey to the end of 

 the line — about ten miles distant. The baggage was placed 

 on some of them while we occupied another. The way lay 

 down-hill and we dashed along at a great pace, taking 

 curves without diminished speed. There were several 

 short tunnels, the entrances of which loomed up like the 

 black openings in a grotto; in a flash we were plunged into 

 absolute darkness; a moment later we raced back into 



