MEDICAL EXPERIENCES. 
235 
On another occasion I found a vast and excited 
crowd approaching my residence at the close of a 
rather fatiguing and anxious day, and I was some¬ 
what curious as to the cause of the intense excite¬ 
ment which evidently possessed the shouting and 
clamouring multitude. As they drew nearer, I 
found they were bearing along a poor fellow, who, 
by his dark skin and unkempt head, I at once per¬ 
ceived to belong to the tribe of the Antimora. His 
mouth literally extended on one side right to his 
ear. He had been attacked by a wild ox in the 
forest, and the furious animal had actually torn 
open his cheek by a thrust of its horn. Several 
teeth had disappeared, and the poor Antimora 
was in a pitiable condition,—more from fright, 
however, than from the actual hurt. The Mala¬ 
gasy always express their sympathy by noise 
and tumult. The injured man was laid at my 
feet, and each of his attendant friends and ac¬ 
quaintances proceeded to explain the nature of 
the hurt, and the circumstances under which he 
had met with the accident. Calling my faithful 
Mozambique to my aid, we swept the frantic 
multitude off the verandah, and away across the 
grass of the compound to a spot at a considerable 
distance, which we allowed them to occupy, and 
from which they continued to shout their advice 
or doubts, as occasion offered. I had never 
before performed the very useful operation of 
