92 THE SANSHUREH. 



it, as a small portion introduced into a scratch acts like 

 morbid matter in dissection-wounds. The agony is so 

 great that the person cuts himself, calls for his mother's 

 breast as if he were returned in idea to his childhood again, 

 or flies from human habitations a raging maniac. The 

 effects on the lion are equally terrible. He is heard moan- 

 ing in distress, and becomes furious, biting the trees and 

 ground in rage. 



As the Bushmen have the reputation of curing the 

 wounds of this poison, I asked how this was effected. 

 They said that they administer the caterpillar itself in 

 combination with fat; they also rub fat into the wound, 

 saying that "the N'gwa wants fat, and, when it does not 

 find it in the body, kills the man: we give it what it 

 wants, and it is content :" a reason which will commend 

 itself to the enlightened among ourselves. 



None of the men of our party had died, but two seemed 

 unlikely to recover; and Kibopechoe, my willing Mokwain, 

 at last became troubled with boils, and then got all the 

 sjmiptoms of fever. As he lay down, the others began to 

 move about, and complained of weakness only. Believing 

 that frequent change of place was conducive to their 

 recovery, we moved along as much as we could, and came 

 to the hill N'gwa, (lat. 18° 27' 20" S., long. 24° 13' 36" E.) 

 This being the only hill we had seen since leaving Bamang- 

 wato, we felt inclined to take off our hats to it. It is 

 three or four hundred feet high, and covered with trees. 



Our Bushmen wished to leave us, and, as there was no 

 use in trying to thwart these independent gentlemen, I 

 paid them, and allowed them to go. The payment, how- 

 ever, acted as a charm on some strangers who happened 

 to be present, and induced them to volunteer their aid. 



We at last came to the Sanshureh, which presented an 

 impassable barrier; so we drew up under a magnificent 

 baobab-tree, (lat. 18° 4' 27" S., long. 24° 6' 20" E.,) and 

 resolved to explore the river for a ford. The great quan- 

 tity of water we had passed through was part of the 



