he Bushmen entered at
once, for they had previously reconnoitred, and were saluted with a low
snarl, very different from the roar of the preceding night. Our
travellers followed, and found the noble creature in his last agonies,
his strength paralysed, and his eyes closed. One or two of the small
arrows of the Bushmen were still sticking in his hide, and did not
appear to have entered more than half an inch; but the poison was so
subtile, that it had rapidly circulated through his whole frame; and
while they were looking down upon the noble beast, it dropped its jaws
and expired.

As our travellers turned back to join the caravan, Alexander observed:
"Those Bushmen, diminutive as they are in size, and contemptible as
their weapons appear, must be dangerous enemies, when the mere prick of
one of their small arrows is certain death. What is their poison
composed of?"

"Of the venom extracted from snakes, which is mixed up with the juice of
the euphorbia, and boiled down till it becomes of the consistency of
glue. They then dip the heads of the arrows into it, and let it dry
on."

"Is then the venom of snakes so active after it has been taken away from
the animal?"

"Yes, for a considerable time after. I remember a story, which is, I
believe, well-authenticated, of a man who had been bitten through his
boot by a rattle-snake in America. The man died, and shortly afterwards
his two sons died one after the other, with just the same symptoms as
their father, although they had not been bitten by snakes. It was
afterwards discovered, that upon the father's death, the sons had one
after the other taken possession of and put on his boots, and the boots
being examined, the fang of the rattle-snake was discovered to have
passed through the leather and remained there. The fang had merely
grazed the skin of the two sons when they put on the boots, and had thus
caused their death."

"Are the snakes here as deadly in their poison as the rattle-snake of
America?"

"Equally so,--that is, two or three of them; some are harmless. The
most formidable is the cobra capella (not the same as the Indian snake
of the same name). It is very large, being usually five feet long; but
it has been found six and even seven feet. This snake has been known to
dart at a man on horseback, and with such force as to overshoot his aim.
His bite is certain death, I believe, as I never heard of a man
recovering from the wound."

"Well, that