This ferpent, fo truly formidable from the mortal nature of its bite, particularly abounds in the country of theBoihmen and Nimiqua Hottentots, who ufe it as poifon, in preference to that of all others, for poifoning their arrows. The Bofhmen, indeed, who have no cattle of their own, and depend entirely on their bows for fubiiftence, feem to have been furnifhed by Nature with this poifon as their only defence againft their numerous enemies. Impelled by hunger, they often quit the mountains and plunder the Dutch peafants of their cattle ; and were it not for thefe poifonous weapons they would be unable, to withftand or efcape from the parties which in thefe cafes are fent againft them ; but thus armed, ieveral of the Dutch have been killed, and many have barely efcaped with life from their wounds. The ufual mode of preparing this poifon, is by bruifing the whole fnake till it becomes of the confiftence of a gum: a fmall quantity of this fubftance is then tied on the point of the arrow with fmall ftnews; two or more barbs are formed in the arrow to prevent its quitting the fleili. This poifon is fometimes mixed with others, to form a preparation called Rot Poifon, which, as I was informed by a pea- fant of the country, produces mortification w ithout much pain. The wife of a Dutch peafant, travelling to the Cape, was attacked in the night by a party of Boihmen, who came to fteal her cattle ; ihe received a wound from an arrow on her Ihoul- der ; and fo rapid was the effedt of the poifon, that before ihe reached the Cape, it had not only produced a mortification in the fleihy part of the ihoulder, but had extended itfelf to both her breafts, in which ftate ihe died. This and many other inftances have been related to me by the country people. I ihall not attempt to vouch for the truth of them ; but they are generally believed at the Cape. Many Hottentots die of the bite of poifonous ferpents; but I have feen feveral who had recovered; though, from what I could learn, they had no mode of cure but the adtual cautery. The Koufe Band, or Garter Snake, is another of the poifonous reptiles of that country: it is particularly dangerous to travellers, as it refembles the foil fo much in colour, that it is not readily perceived. The Koufe Band is fmall, and feldom exceeds eighteen inches in length. I imagine it to be the Covra Manilla of the Eaft Indies. This tribe is faid to occafion almoft inftant death. But as all fnakes lofe a confiderable portion of their poifonous quality by repeating their bite, there may be times when the poifon is not fo ftrong, or fo mortal. I had an opportunity of feeing a farmer at the hot baths near the Cape, who had been bitten by a Koufe Band in the foot. For fome time after the circumftance happened, he found great benefit from bathing the wounded part with cold water, mixed with a large quantity of fait. When I faw him he had been lame for two years. Whenever he took much exercife it occafioned a fwelling in the leg, for which the warm bath afforded a temporary relief. The Yellow Snake, which differs only in colour from the Covra Capella, or Hooded Snake of India, is frequently found
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