I2d CURES FOR SNAKE-BITE 



of its efficacy. The manner of its application 

 scarcely admits of description in these pages, but the 

 effect is that the chickens absorb the poison and 

 die, while the man lives. The number of chickens 

 required is a gauge of the virulence of the serpent, 

 for as soon as the venom is all extracted they cease 

 to die. Nobody, however, could tell me how many 

 chickens perished in this case. They were all too 

 busy to stop and note the result of one remedy while 

 another remained untried. And there were many 

 yet. 



Somebody suggested that the venom should be 

 dislodged from the patient's stomach, so an emetic 

 was administered in the form of a handful of common 

 salt, with immediate and seismic effect. Then a 

 decoction of neem leaves was poured down the man's 

 throat. The neem tree is an enemy of all fevers 

 and a friend of man generally, so much so that it 

 is healthful to sleep under its shade. Therefore a 

 decoction of the leaves could not fail to be beneficial 

 in one way or another. The residue of the leaves 

 was well rubbed into the crown of the man's head 

 for more direct effect on the brains in case they 

 might be affected. Something else was rubbed in 

 under the root of the tongue. 



In the meantime a man with some experience in 

 exorcism had brought twigs of a tree of well-ascer- 

 tained potency in expelling the devil, and advised 

 that, in view of the known connection between 

 serpents and Satan, it would be well to try beating 



