people. A donkey upon which the poison had acted was restored
in this manner, and for the remainder of his days permitted to run in
Sir Joseph Banks's park. But the poison of snakes acts upon the blood,
and therefore occasions death without remedy."

"But there are remedies, I believe, for even the most fatal poisons?"

"Yes, in His provident mercy God has been pleased to furnish remedies
at hand, and where the snake exists the remedy is to be found. The
rattlesnake root is a cure, if taken and applied immediately; and it is
well known that the ichneumon when bitten by the cobra capella, in his
attack upon it, will hasten to a particular herb and eat it immediately,
to prevent the fatal effect of the animal's bite."

"I once saw a native of India," said the Major, "who for a small sum
would allow himself to be bitten by a cobra capella. He was well
provided with the same plant used by the ichneumon, which he swallowed
plentifully, and also rubbed on the wound. It is impossible to say, but,
so far as I could judge, there was no deception."

"I think it very possible; if the plant will cure the ichneumon, why not
a man? I have no doubt but that there are many plants which possess
virtues of which we have no knowledge. Some few, and perhaps some of the
most valuable, we have discovered; but our knowledge of the vegetable
kingdom, as far as its medicinal properties are known, is very slight;
and perhaps many which were formerly known have, since the introduction
of mineral antidotes, been lost sight of."

"Why, yes; long before chemistry had made any advances, we do hear in
old romances of balsams of most sovereign virtues," said Alexander,
laughing.

"Which, I may observe, is almost a proof that they did in reality exist;
and the more so, because you will find that the knowledge of these
sovereign remedies was chiefly in the hands of the Jews, the oldest
nation upon the earth; and from their constant communication with each
other, most likely to have transmitted their knowledge from generation
to generation."

"We have also reason to believe that not only they had peculiar
_remedies_ in their times, but also--if we are to credit what has been
handed down to us--that the art of _poisoning_ was much better
understood," said the Major.

"At all events, they had not the knowledge of chemistry which now leads
to its immediate detection," replied Swinton. "But, Alexander, there are
three hippopotami lying asleep on the