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but the heat of the day growing irksome, we took to the covert and refolved to construct a raft; we procured timber, and having fecured them by ropes of withy and vine, we croffed at a convenient bending, and set ourselves over by poles, affifted with great addrefs by our fellow travellers, with whom we were now become completely familiar.

This river difplayed an abundance of various fish, of which our negroes caught feveral with peculiar ingenuity for our evening's repaft; and after a march of four hours we gained a rifing ground, on the fide of which we determined to spend the night.

The furrounding country in the neighbourhood of this river is truly luxuriant; the foil is foft and loamy, producing a variety of elegant flowering fhrubs, and fruit trees; among which are the wild orange and limes, with tufts of the rich bannana and

pine apple. We provided ourselves with as

much as we could carry of these rich stores, understanding that our next day's route would be more irksome and fatiguing.

We rofe early, and as ufual comfortably refreshed; my health was never better than I had hitherto experienced it in this expedition, and I feemed to feel an agility of mind and body that was fuperior both to danger and fatigue.

The accustomed formalities of the broiled and roasted, with the morning deffert and the fimple beverage, being difpatched, we fet forward, with a party of our friendly. Africans in front. We had afcended a floping ground, and wished to reach by a ⚫ lefs circuitous route the elevated country

which our little party in advance had gained, where we faw and heard them fhouting for us to haften, as we underflood it. We found much difficulty to form a new path, but at length fucceeded, and were exceedingly. alarmed to find a youth of about feventeen

bewailing loudly: his father, a robust middle aged cheerful man, had been bitten by a large fnake which they call the Hoopel Koppel; the animal's head had been cut off by the boy, and the body lay writhing at his feet, while he vented his complaints and the bitterness of his resentments, in language that I could not comprehend otherwise than by the vehemence of his actions, and by his emphasis. Hurdee acquainted me with the particulars of the honest boy's imprecations; and I haftened to the old man, whom I found in the most tranquil manner applying medicine to the wound, which was on the exterior of his left thigh. The antidote to this moft poisonous of fnakes is a fimple root, which the Africans always carry about them; they chew it to the confiftence of a foft pulp, and apply it like a poultice to the wound; removing it continually as the poifon discolours the application, until the chewed root remains of its original colour, when they finish the operation by washing the part affected in clean water, and applying a large

portion of the root, which they faften with a bandage over the wound, where it remains till the cure is effected. We neceffarily halted till the process was completed, and as it was tedious, were conftrained to prepare for dreffing our mid-day meal earlier than ufual.

The animal that had been thus the cause of our delay measured nine feet without the head, which was flat and fomewhat refembling the fore part of the fole fish, or black founder; the tongue forked; the body thick; the back of a dirty yellow and brown, very like the rattlefnake. The bite is not always curable, to which caufe muft be attributed the grief of the boy; his father, however, appeared no wife difconcerted, and we had the pleafure to fee the application come from the wound without the least appearance of poifon, after about three hours application. The attention of thefe innocent people to their wounded brother, their activity and kindness in procuring

the antidote and encouraging him not fear, was extremely impreffive, and fuch as is not always to be seen among more polished people.

I examined the head of this fnake, and the Africans pointed to me the cavities in which he conceals his venom of death. It is contained in a fack, at the roots of the two teeth answering to the canine teeth; the upper and lower jaws, are likewise armed with each a smaller row of teeth, used as I fuppofe for mastication only. The Africans defcribe the effects of this poison as extremely fudden and dreadful, if the antidote is not immediately at hand: in this cafe, the body. is faid to fwell to an uncommon bulk, with excruciating torture: the fwelling continues till the body bursts, when death follows and clofes the scene.

We had a difficult journey for the next day, it was therefore agreed to gain the eastern fide of the hill, or rather mountain,