St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1900-03-03
PAINLESS 11Gy BITES
sefsati0ns Experien ed by Men who
Have Had Ent punters In
the JuIgle.

The attacks of the lesser carnivora
smaller in proportion to man. are frc-
| luently very parLfu! but matters are
80 ordered that the ',ite of dog or a
ferret is usually +! ore painful than
the injuries inflicted by the jaws of q
lion. The instauceT quoted are very
numerous and striking. and probably
| grouped according to locality or the
species of the attacking beast. In
Somaliland the experiences of the bit
ten are supplemented by Capt. Abud.
the resident at. Berbera, who has had
long experience of cases. English and
native, as most of the former, unless
killed outright. which very seldom
happens, are brought to Berbera.
He states that "the view that no
actual pain is suffered at the time
seems almost universal. In most cases
it would seem that there was no
knowledge of the actual contact, even
in the first rush of a lion, much less
of any pain experienced from tooth
wounds" This was the view not only
of the English, but of natives. In one
or two cases where consciousness was
entirely lost, the person .came TO"
while the lion was still standing over
him. a period of complete anesthesin
and Inconsistencies having inter-
vened. But, more commonly. those
who have been attacked and have re-
covered. are conscious all the time,
and il they suffer at all do not feel
acute pain. This may be accounted
for partly by the shock given by the
charge which forms the usual preli,n-
mary to being wounded. A lion comes
at the enemy at full speed. gallopine
low. and dashes a man standing up
right to the ground by the full inn
pact of its body. Maj. Inverarley
states that 9TH. claws and teeth en-
tering the flesh do not hurt so much
as you would think" but that the
squeeze given by the jaws on the bone
is really painful. When knocked over
he was still keenly conscious. and fel:
none of the dreamy sensation expert
encey by Livingstone.
Maj. Swaine, struck down by a lion
ess going at full gallop, was uncon-
scious for some minutes and did not
know what had happened till he found
himself standing up after the acci-
dent. 81 felt no pain" he writes.
mot. l believe. owing TO any special
interposition of Providence, but SIM
ply that the shock and loss Of blood
made me incapable of feeling it. There
was no pain for a few days. till it was
brought on by the swelling of my arm
On the 12 days ride to the coast"
Capt. Noyes. attacked in the same dis |
trict by a lion in 1895. was charged
down and bitten. until the creature left
him. probably when attacked by his |
servants. His hand was badly bitten,
but he was not conscious of any feel |
ing OF fear. or any pain whatever,
probably because there was no time,
but he felt exactly as If he had been |
bowled over in football match, and |
more" A far worse accident
mas that which befell Lieut.. vandezee
n the same year. near Beira. The lion
charged him down in the usual way
md mangled his thighs and fracturci
'ne of his arms. During the time the
attack on me by the lion was in prog
'ess." he writes. Il felt no pain what
,ver, although there was a distinct
ceiling of being bitten-that is, 1 was
perfectly conscious. independently Of
eeing the performance, that the lion
vas gnawing at me, but there was no
,ain.
Il may mention that while my
highs were being gnawed I took two
artridges out of the breast pocket of
ny shirt and threw them to thu Kaffir.
vho was lowering few yards away,
cling him to load my rife. and inn
nediately the lion died and rolled off
ne. scrambled up and took loaded
life and fired at the carcass.''-Lon-
on Spectator.