THE SAD END 12 r 



the patient with these. The advice was taken, and 

 many stripes were laid upon him. Massage was also 

 tried, and other homely expedients, such as bandaging 

 and thumping with the fists, were not neglected. 



It was about noon when I was told of the accident, 

 and I went down at once and found the poor man 

 in a woeful state, as well he might be after such 

 rough handling as he had suffered for four consecu- 

 tive hours ; but he was quite conscious and there 

 was neither pain nor swelling in the bitten foot. 

 I remonstrated most vigorously, pointing out that 

 the snake, which nobody had seen, might not have 

 been a venomous one at all, that there were no 

 symptoms of poisoning, except such as might also 

 be explained by the treatment the man had suffered 

 at the hands of his friends, and that, in short, I 

 could see no reason to think he was going to die 

 unless they were determined to kill him. 



My words appeared to produce a good effect on 

 the Parsees at least, and they consented to stop 

 curing the man and let him rest, giving him such 

 stimulating refreshment as he would take, for he 

 was a pious Mussulman and would not touch wine 

 or spirits. I said what I could to cheer him up, 

 and went away hoping that I had saved a human 

 life. Alas! In an hour or so a friend came in 

 with a root of rare virtue and persuaded the man 

 to swallow some preparation of it. Post hoc, 

 whether propter hoc I dare not say, he became un- 

 conscious and sank. Before night he was buried. 



