136 AFRICAX WANDERINGS.

be done, that he had better not lay aside liis knife, but proceed at once, as he (the patient) would remain quiet as before; and he did so : the second operation being over, he then, but not till then, begged for some merissa. Although the wound healed well, this man afterwards died, from caries again breaking out in the knee and hip joint; a real dispositio cariosa. The blacks' cure for the frantiet (farendit), viz. lire, is certainly tlie best and surest.* They run a red-hot nail, or other pointed iron, many times into the swelling, and by this the spot where the worm generally lies, with part of his body rolled up in a knot, is laid open ; they think no moi'e of this than a European would do of taking out a thorn ; and with all coolness perform on themselves this small but most painful operation.! In Chartum, Joseph applied the actual cautery to two soldiers ; one in the hrst, and the other in the second stage of coralgie, with good success. The firing streaks were not small, and the fat, insensible skin hissed much under the hot iron ; but neither would allow himself to be held, nor was it required, as only a slight convulsive motion of the muscles of the face showed the jxiin suffured. Nay, one of them during the firing said, " Ana badenn uachet kabab," (tifter this, I may pass as a kabab — roasted bit of meat). During circumcision, these black soldiers will stand upright, and even laugh, while it is going on ; the presence of many spectators may contribute much to this stoicism, * It is also sometimes got rid of by salt water bathing, as lias been remarked on slaves brought to Alexandria.

f I also afterwards cm-cd in Chartimi (my poor brother having made his early and sad departure from this life) our brave Agar (meaning in the Aggem speech of Taka, elepliant hunter), who had acquired the disease from a Koschef in return for having cured his almost cnt-otl' head. This lad, from the Basa hills, where he, during a chasufa, had been made a slave, calmly held out his foot and kejit it there like a sti)ic, so that he might be held by the other servants as " schatter" (bi'ave), while my own hand trembled fearfully. Each morningsliowed two pieces of the worm, like white threads, coming out of the openingcaused by the burning ; as these dried up they fell off, and the wound soon healed of itself. Seiiig obliged afterwards, from want of travelling funds, to leave him in Alexandria, I handed him over to the Alt-Graf Franz von S;dmlieifferscheidt of Prague, who soon became very fond of him, and had an excellent education bestowed on him, as I myself afterwards saw when on my return home, and was no more than 1 expected from my honest countryman.