490 
KINGSTON. 
up in slowly beating along a hundred miles of coast, 
against the fierce daily sea-breeze. Nothing of any 
note occurred to break the monotony of the voyage, 
except that on the morning of its last day — as if I 
were not to be allowed to leave the island without a 
taste of its bitters as well as its sweets — I was stung 
by a Scorpion. While lying in the berth of the little 
close cabin, I was awakened by a severe twinge on 
one side of my neck : on putting my hand to the 
place, I took hold of some object which had pierced 
the flesh, and which, requiring some force to make it 
let go, I fancied to be a beetle that had nipped me 
with its mandibles. There was a dim lamp in the 
cabin, and on holding up my prisoner against the 
light, I found that it was a large Scorpion, which I 
had fortunately seized by the tail, so that, though it 
sprawled, it could not do any further injury. The 
pain was severe, but the old skipper kindly applied 
some camphorated rum, which he well rubbed on the 
part. The flesh began to swell and form a lump ; 
but very soon both this and the pain subsided, so 
that in two or three hours only a slight soreness was 
perceptible about the region, and even this was gone 
before night. Altogether the affair was not equal 
to the sting of a wasp. One of the most curious of 
the results was a numbness of some of the nerves 
of the tongue, perceptible in the pajpillcE of the 
surface, which felt as if dead : this was soon after the 
sting. 
On my arrival at Kingston on the 26th, I found 
that the length of the coasting voyage had lost me a 
passage to England, the steamer having just sailed. 
