In Search of an Unknown Race — page 180: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

168 VAN. its way down the patient’s throat there was a visible contraction of the windpipe, and as Pepe with a low chuckle repeated the dose, Van uttered a strangled cough. ‘It’s like a meracle—sure, wid a gallon of sech stuff in the house a man needn't die till he was tired of livin’ !” exclaimed the priest, joyfully. But this was only the beginning. Motioning Father Felix to raise Van up still more, the servant called for a tumbler. This he filled to the brim with the strong spirit, and held it to Van’s lips. ‘‘Drink it, me lad, it’s the saving of yer life!” excitedly cried the priest, as Van weakly moved away his head. Van obeyed, between terrible fits of coughing and strangling. Next the half-breed, seizing the young fellow’s bared arm, applied his mouth to the puncture, around which the discolored flesh had risen into a hard ege-like swelling. Sucking at the wound, he spat on the ground, rinsed his mouth out and continued the process, while the priest plied Van with the liquor till the bottle was empty. Yet so potent was the virus in his veins that the liquor had but little beyond a stupefying effect. But gradually the swelling decreased, and the flesh began to assume its wonted hue. ‘‘ Bueno!” grunted Pepe, and with the assistance of two or three of the servants, Van was placed in a ham- mock on the veranda—intoxicated for the first and only — time in his life. His stupor lasted nearly thirty-six hours. And when with a bad headache he awoke to new life, it was to GEomichbooks (E(@) m