152 
RECOVERY FROM ILLNESS. 
the hut, when his wife produced a scroll of plantain- 
leaf, in which was a black paste. This was moistened 
from the month and rubbed into the bleeding cuts, 
making them smart; afterwards a small piece of lava 
was dangled against my leg and tied as a charm 
round the ankle. Two days afterwards he found no 
improvement, and, having repeated some mystic words 
behind me, another charm of wood and goat's flesh 
was tied above the knee and round the ankle, much 
in the same way as a kind lady-friend in Scotland 
once sent me a string of soda-water corks to be worn 
at night as a cure for cramp ! Paste, very like gun- 
powder, was rubbed into fresh cuts, and this was re- 
peated without any result, although the charms had 
been on for two days. M'nanagee, seeing his medi- 
cal adviser had failed, sent an herb to soak in water 
and rub over the part; it had a very soothing effect, 
but did not allay the pain. He had seen me apply 
the leaves of the castor-oil plant as a hot bandage, 
and forbade their use a second time as being injurious, 
having given me a delirious fever, and causing a 
counter-action of profuse discharge of water from the 
limb. By the fifth month the complaint had ex- 
hausted itself ; at last I was able to be out of the hut 
inhaling the sweet air, and once more permitted to 
behold the works of God's creation in the beautiful 
lake and hills below me. Never did I experience a 
happier moment ! During this illness, the family at 
the palace were very kind in coming to sit by me; 
the young sons brought me plants in flower, birds' 
nests, eggs, or other things which they thought might 
interest me ; while I sketched for them or their father, 
and sent a servant to get the news, and ask for the 
