The record-union., 1896-02-08

up.
" It's a dagger I said Just see
what's behind those bushes, you chaps,
while tie my handkerchief round this
hand. I've got a bit of a scratch. If
it's 'The Queen" let her go. Thank
goodness she missed my face
"It was The Queen They caught
sight of her among the bushes, but she
got away all right. They didn't follow
her far, but came back to see if I was
much hurt.
It's nothing Serious I said; only
a scratch, but think my nerves must
be a bit upset It has made me feel
horribly tired I'll go and lie down in
the boat for a while, and let you fellows
finish your smoke. I've got a bit of a
head
" 'Mackay, you're crying exclaimed
Wilson, and the sweat is simply pour
ing down your face. You're pretty
badly hurt
=" 'Cryingr shouted Phil. Wilson, that
dagger is poisoned!'
:" Poisoned? You don't mean -
Yes, 1 do. It's "wourali"; copius
secretion of sweat and tears, headache,
feeling of extreme lassitude-those are
the exact symptoms. Off with that
bandage, Mac
Good heavensl he's done for said
Wilson.
Done for? Not bit of it. Off with
that bandage; I'm going to suck the
woundp
II had just got energy enough left to
protest against his doing this, but he
n ciCfp6 nd 4a
vent him.
" Nonsense, man. he said: Tn safe
enough. The stuff isn't a poison taken
internally, even if I do manage to swal-
low some
He put his lips to the wound, and
then / closed my eyes and everything
became blank.
TT must have been hours afterward
that l began slowly to regain, / can't
say consciousness, but an indefinite
sensation of existence, and horrible
WEAKNESS. It seemed to me that 1 was
swimming, but that isn't an exact de-
scription. I could feel my arms NOV
ing back and forth with steady rhyth-
mical motion, but the rest of my body
was absolutely still. l was almost suf-
locating for want of air, but 1 didn't
seem to have strength to gasp. How
long that sensation lasted / can't say,
but it must have been a very long time
wouldn't voluntarily go through an
other hour of such unutterable and
helpless misery for anything you could
offer me- / tell you it has given me
my theory of what future punishment
may be like.
AS consciousness gradually returned
the feeling of infinite WEAKNESS became
more and more unbearable My arms
were still swinging backward and for
ward like a couple of animated pump
handles, and I was quite unable either
to stop them or to move any other part
of my body. Try and imagine the
sensation; it was simply awful
When l did finally come to myself so
far as to know what was going on, did
it pretty thoroughly. You know the the
ory that when a man loses the use of his
eyes, his senses of touch and hearing
become unusually acute? From my ex-
perience that day / can quite believe
it. I had lost all power of motion, and
my perceptive faculties became, to com
pensate, most uncomfortably keen. I
felt as if I could almost see through
my closed eyelids
Phil told me afterward that the pc
culiarity of 'wourali poisoning is that
if the dose is not very large only the
nerves of motion are paralyzed, while
those of sensation became abnormally
sensitive. knew everything that was
going on around me. and I could hear
every word they said, but / couldn't
even wink to let them know I was alive
s'They had stuck a knife-handle be-
tween my teeth to keep my mouth open,
and the WEAKNESS in my arms was
caused by the fact that for nearly a day
and night Phil and Wilson had been
taking turns practicing artificial res
piration on me.
'Egerton,' I heard Wilson say, do
you think it's any good going on longer?
He hasn't breathed now for nearly
twenty-four hours / believe he's dead
Wen go on as long as we can stand
said Phil, and I blessed him for it, IF
we can only keep the artificial respira-
ton going till the poison is eliminated
he will recover. For Gods sake, keep
it up as long as you can, Wilson.
"If you think there's the slightest
chance of saving him, I'll go on; but /
don't think I can last out much longer
he : SIll1 WdTIIl, WllSO0, ana Il
won't give up hope as long as that is So.
THAT was a nice cheerful converse
ton to overhear, wasn't it? Listeners
never hear good of themselves, it is
said, but / doubted whether the most
persistent eavesdropper ever had the
pleasure of hearing a man pronounce
him dead without being able to contra
dict the statement. If I hadn't begun to
breathe spontaneously pretty soon after
that, / should never have had the oppor-
tunity of contradicting it. Phil and
Wilson couldn't have gone on much
longer. How they kept it up for the
length of time they did I have never
been able to understand The power
of friendship is very much underrated
1T must have been about two hours
after Wilson had declared that l was
dead, that Phil saw my eyelids begin to
twitch.
At last, wilson, he cried. Go and
get some water from the river
'sThey dashed the cold water over me.
and it caused me to gasp slightly It
was enough; 1 had begun to breathe
again. They carried me to the boat,
and as soon as they saw the danger was
over. they both of them sat down on the
bottom boards and fell fast asleep In
a very few minutes after them / was
asleep, too.
Nearly fifteen hours after that I
woke, feeling rather weak and faint,