Without looking up, he said: "Oh, one can swallow it--it's
strange, but it is comparatively inert if swallowed even in a
pretty good-sized quantity. I doubt if Mrs. Ralston ever heard of
it before except by hearsay. If she had, she'd have scratched
herself with it instead of swallowing it."
If Craig had been indifferent to the emergency of Vanderdyke
before, he was all action now that the confession had been made.
In an instant Vanderdyke was stretched on the floor and Craig had
taken out the apparatus I had seen during the afternoon.
"I am prepared for this," he exclaimed quickly. "Here is the
apparatus for artificial respiration. Nott, hold that rubber
funnel over his nose, and start the oxygen from the tank. Pull
his tongue forward so it won't fall down his throat and choke
him. I'll work his arms. Walter, make a tourniquet of your
handkerchief and put it tightly on the muscles of his left arm.
That may keep some of the poison in his arm from spreading into
the rest of his body. This is the only antidote known--artificial
respiration."
Kennedy was working feverishly, going through the motions of
first aid to a drowned man. Mrs. Ralston was on her knees beside
Vanderdyke, kissing his hands and forehead whenever Kennedy
stopped for a minute, and crying softly.
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