Something of the same kind befell me on another occasion when I was returning to my cabin by myself.
At Tapah preparations were being made for celebrating the coronation of King Edward VII and I, as one of His Majesty's colonial officers, of course felt interested in the proceedings and it seemed to me a right thing that a representation of my friends the savages, who were under my administration, should accompany me to town for the occasion. I had therefore been round to as many as I could to tell them to be ready to follow me whenever I gave them notice.
Towards evening I was going quietly along, rather tired with my long march, and listening to the pretty good-night songs of the birds, when I was suddenly hit in the abdomen by a poisoned arrow, shot by an unknown hand. Aware of the terrible power of the forest venoms I gave myself up for lost and so without doubt I should have been if fortune had not sent me assistance. I was energetically squeezing the wound when one of my faithful Sakais came up. Upon hearing what had happened, he exclaimed:
"This is the work of a Mai-Gop, because one of our darts would have passed right through you, and besides none of us would harm you because you are good to us".
The kind fellow sucked out my wound and knew by its reddish-black colour that the poison used was a mixture of legop and ipok juices, most deadly in its effect.
Hurrying me towards the village, in a few instants he had prepared an antidote by mixing a pinch of lime and powdered charcoal together and then wetting it with the urine of his little boy.
He washed the wound carefully with this strange lotion, making it penetrate well in, and recommended me not to touch it.
I let him do as he would, as there was no better remedy to my knowledge, although I had little or no faith in the mixture.
I suffered a great deal for some days, but at last the wound (which had all the requisites for a fatal one) healed. Was this fact due to the merits of lime, charcoal, or urine?
Let the disciples of Esculapius decide!