The Fer de 

 lance. 



48 THE LAND-MARKS OF 



die. An antidote is administerd to the bitten 

 individual, the individual does not die, therefore, 

 the antidote cured him. A "M. de Lanbenque's" 

 method of treatment is mentioned. While there 

 is nothing new in it, there is much that is ludi- 

 crous. The method includes the old treatment 

 of the application and administration of oil, which 

 was declared useless nearly two hundred years 

 ago, (vide Chapter II.) The absurd advice is 

 given to keep the patient roused by every, 

 means. If it were a case of real poisoning 

 nothing would keep the patient roused. Far 

 from rousing the patient it is good practice 

 to keep him as quiet as possible, so that 

 the absorption of the poison — which you desire 

 to keep out of the general system^may be 

 retarded as much as possible. The wonderful 

 snake-doctors of St. Lucia, like many other 

 snake- doctors, evidently owe much of their fame 

 and reputation to the non-identification of the 

 snake, and the timidity of the people. Dr. Shadl- 

 ing says (as quoted by Miss Hopley) " I believe 

 every country has a pet bugbear among serpents. 

 Fer de lance is the cry in St. I^ucia, when a 

 snake rustles away" in the bush, or inflicts a bite 

 unseen." After all, the " Fer de lance" Trigon- 



