332 



POISONED ARROWS. 



Chap. XII. 



head is smeared with the poison. When the arrow is 

 shot into an animal, the reed either falls to the ground at 



D 





A. Common form of Ajawa arrow iron head, with barbs. 



B. „ „ Manganja, poisoned at head and barbs, and neck. 



C. Manner of inserting arrow head into the shaft. 



D. Entire arrow nearly four feet long, and feathered. 



once, or is very soon brushed off by the bushes ; but the 

 iron barb and poisoned upper part of the wood remain in 

 the wound. If made in one piece, the arrow would often 

 be torn out, head and all, by the long shaft catching in 

 the underwood, or striking against trees. The poison 

 used here, and called homhi, is obtained from a species of 

 strophanthus, and is very virulent. Dr. Kirk found by an 

 accidental experiment on himself that it acts by lowering 

 the pulse. In using his tooth-brush, which had been in a 

 pocket containing a little of the poison, he noticed a bitter 

 taste, but attributed it to his having sometimes used the 

 handle in taking quinine. Though the quantity was 

 small, it immediately showed its power by lowering his 

 pulse which at the time had been raised by a cold, and 



