A SIMPLE REMEDY FOR FEVER. 261 



out venturing to offer advice to a medico who could 

 cure biscos, but the third day he alarmed me by the 

 remark that the expression of the doctor's face was 

 fatal. In Spanish this only means very bad, but it 

 had always in my ears an uncomfortable sound. 

 The cura added that there were certain indices of 

 this disease which were mortal, but, happily, these 

 had not yet exhibited themselves in the doctor. 

 The bare suggestion, however, alarmed me. I in- 

 quired of the cura about the mode of treatment in 

 the country, and whether he could not prescribe for 

 him. Doctor Cabot had never seen anything of this 

 disease, particularly as affected by climate. Besides, 

 he was hors de combat on account of the absence 

 of our medicine-chest, and in such constant pain 

 and delirium that he was in no condition to pre- 

 scribe for himself. 



The cura was the temporal as well as spiritual 

 physician of the village ; there were daily applica- 

 tions to him for medicine, and he was constantly vis- 

 iting the sick. Doctor Cabot was willing to put 

 himself entirely into his hands, and he administered 

 a preparation which I mention for the benefit of fu- 

 ture travellers who may be caught without a med- 

 icine-chest. It was a simple decoction of the rind 

 of the sour orange flavoured with cinnamon and 

 lemon-juice, of which he administered a tumbler- 

 ful warm every two hours. At the second draught 

 the doctor was thrown into a profuse perspiration. 

 For the first time since his attack the fever left him, 



