River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1896-11-05

4lyth AT AA4o AaNNt WIN
me, as / came back to him.
1t was a shocking sight under the
pickering rays, swollen, distorted, liyid.
The mans arm was swollen, too, as |
felt when l took my place TO support
him. His movements were lethargic
and heavy. so that | wondered that
Jock, unaided, could have kept him
moving so long.
"Give him more brandy" Jock di-
rected. more; that's it-he's had near
~ all the bottle. There's a chance"
be went on presently; 81 really believe
there is. / thought he'd have been
dead before now. Maybe he don't mean
diving after all. 4 white man'd have
been dead half an hour ago"
II wish the doctor'd come"
mighty little good wishing"
The weary tramp went on. Twice
had replenished the beacon-torch and
once more We gave the Mexican gulp
of the brandy, which finished the bot
tie. AS was fixing the torch for the
third time / heard a shout down the
canyon. answered with all my
might. and in few minutes Jim Kelly
and the doctor rode into the circle of
the fiaring light.
"Alive?" the doctor asked.
"Alive, yes" said Jock; ''alive. and
that's about all. He can't speak"
''What have you given him-brandy?
That's right. How nuch?"
a hottletul."
Right, and you've kept him awake
That's it. He won't die now. Won
derfuI fellows. these greasers. He'd
have died before this if he meant dying.
Let's see the wound"
The candle burned as quietly in the
still air as in a room. The Mexican's
foot was swollen so that il scarcely
looked Like a human member; but in
the midst of the purple swelling was
white circle with the little blue mark.
plainly evident, for its center. The
Mexican seemed TO feel no pain, even
when the doctor handled the wound
and pressed il upward with his fingers.
Hold the candle close" he said. ats
bIa cd strange" he added. "blamed
str5a &c, pecking at tine little biGe
mark with his forcers; "the fang's in
the wound yet. | never heard of that
happening before. Shake him a bit;
don't let him go drowsy."
His swollen limb obbled like jelly
under the treatment. 1t was horrid.
The doctor gave little dig. and then
little tug with his forceps. Present
IL he held up to the candle, in he clutch
of his forceps. a long white spine. and
regarded it curiously.
Then he said in a hollow voice: "Do
YOU know what that is? 1t is not a
fang at all. 1t is a cactus spike"
"What?"
a strangely perplexed little group o..
men gazcd into each others faces with
questioning eyes, under the stars that
twinkled out over the snow-topped
edges OF the Sierras.
only a thorn!"
Look at it," the doctor said. "You
can see the thing for yourselves"
One after another we examined the
spine, feeling its point with a finger
that we certainly should not have vch-
tured near it had it been a poison fang.
And there's nothing else in the
wound? ?" Jock asked.
Not a thing else"
"And you mean to tell me that I've
wasted two hours of my time. TO say
nothing of bottle of our best brandy,
in walking about ? Greaser that has
nothing the matter but a thorn in his
foot? Well, am darned."
That's about what you have been do
ing" the doctor said. quietly.
well, / am darned." Jock turned
with look of righteous wrath TO the
wretched Mexican, who was lying in
comatose heap in my arms; but the
first sight of his face checked the words
anspOken.
'ShaKc him up; keep him waking. ;
the doctor cried.
"But you don't mean to tell me, p"
Jock began gain. when he had succeed
ed in arOusin.g some sign of life in Louie,
THAT all that" pointing at his distend-
cd features, "is the cactus-thorn?"
There's not L mite else in the
wound"
swell. | am darned."
"All the same" the doctor added,
quietly, "he'd have died if you hadn't
kept him going"
"Died! What off"
'Snake-bitcl Shake him up there!
Don't let him so drowsy!"
"Snake-bite! Heavens and earth. l
thought you said there was nothing IT,
his foot beyond tie thorn"
Then the doctor went up to Jock and
laid a hand on each of his shoulders,
and said. very slowly and distinctly:
you mark me. Jock Peters, we're in
face of a bigger thing tonight than
snake bite. We're in face of one of the
biggest and ultimatest facts of human
nature, and one of its biggest mysteries
the influence of the mind upon the
body I've heard of something like this
case before, although I've never seen H..
nor ever thought ! should; and that in
connection with a coolie and a cobra in
India. In that case, too. there was no
snake bite, although there was snake.
The coolie saw the snake; II darted
from beneath his feet, and at the same
moment likely from the start he gave)
a thorn pierced his foot-just as il hap
uened to the Greaser. And that man.
TOO. the same rs this man here, swelled
up. showed all the symptoms of snake
poisoning, and died. This man we'll
save. You. Jock. have practically saved
him by keeping him moving and coun-
ieracting the poison by the brandy.
Look at the man; isn't he snake-poi-
soued?'
by all that's blue he looks IT," Jock
admitted.
''And all the hurt he's GOETHE physic-
al hurts just the pin-prick of that
thorn. The rests all mental-all the
swelling. the surcharging of the yes
sells, mental. Now. tell me, how do
you think that man would be but for
bis morbid mental state. with all that
brandy that you've given him?"
dead, l SUPPOSE
You're right-dead; as dead as you
or would be II we set TO drink the same
lust now. But he-he's hardly drunk;
he's sober. And he's better now-ieart
acting better" Ee bent and listened TO
its beating as he spoke. you've seen
strange thing tonight. gentlemen"
he added. rising again. and addressing
US collectively; such thing as neither
YOU nor I are likely ever to see again.
And I'll tell you another thing about
il. gentlemen; it's a thing that YOU