An Unfortunate Merchant Of Tripoli, Mahomet N' Diff, Who Had Suffered Much On The Road From An Enlarged Spleen, Was

Here advised to undergo the operation of burning with a red hot iron, the sovereign Arab remedy for almost every

Disorder; he gave his consent, and previously to their proceeding, he was laid on his back, and while five or six Arabs held him on the sand, the rude operators burnt him on the left side under the ribs in three places, nearly the size of a sixpence each. The iron was again placed in the fire, and while heating, the thumbs of about a dozen Arabs were thrust into different parts of the poor man's side, to know if the pressure pained him, until his flesh was so bruised, that he declared all gave him pain: four more marks with the iron were now made near the former ones, upon which he was turned on his face, and three larger made within two inches of the back-bone. It might have been supposed that the operation was now at an end, but an old Arab, who had been feeling his throat for some time, declared that a hot iron and a large burn were absolutely necessary just above the collar bone on the same side. The poor man submitted with wonderful patience to all this mangling, and after drinking a draught of water moved on with the camels. More than twenty camels were lost this day, on account of their straying out of the path.

Enter page number Go  Previous Next
Page 394 of 1124
Words from 107406 to 107661 of 309561