126 
THE NEW AFRICA 
Tho symptoms of snake-bite are so often overwhelmed by 
those of fright that only the coarsest are reliable. Locally, two 
small irritated spots rapidly diffusing themselves into the tissues, 
with great stinging pain and acceleration of the heart-beat, 
amounting almost to palpitation of the heart, are the first. 
Later, the patient shows great lassitude with increased tempera¬ 
ture, and small very frequent heart-beat, and a strong desire to 
sleep (which ‘ must be counteracted by stimulants ’ and ‘ enforced 
activity,’ or ‘ the patient will never wake again ’), and often, in 
cases of recovery, violent vomiting of dark coloured masses, 
or in cases of death, a succession of cramps affecting the 
whole body, but principally the neck and shoulders. A death 
occurring within two hours after the bite from a puff adder 
showed these symptoms. In cases tending to recovery, the 
bitten limbs become enormously swollen, and, on incisions being 
made, discharge a tenacious yellow clear serous fluid in great 
quantities, while in several spots on the limb circumscribed 
mortification of the skin sets in, leaving ghastly looking slough¬ 
ing sores which take long to heal. But proper antiseptic 
treatment in two such cases I had finally led to recovery. 
Altogether, it is best not to be bitten by a puff adder, vipera 
arietans, or otherwise; so, with apologies for the digression, let 
us wander up the Chobe again. At our camp on the 27th the 
boys hailed with delight some trees bearing a fruit not unlike a 
cherry, though oval in shape and of a more brick-red colour. 
Over-indulgence in these made Franz an invalid for the night. 
We, too, were much delighted with the magnificent open forest 
through which we passed on part of the day’s journey. The 
trees were large in stem, and just far enough apart to mingle 
their wide crowns into a canopy excluding the sunlight, while 
there was no underwood to obstruct the march. It was very 
glorious to look at, and Haminar and I registered many promises 
to return here when we had time. 
