Upon inquiring the cause of such an unceremonious proceeding, I was assured, that I had run into extreme danger myself, as well as all those near my person, as this plant was the most deadly poison to be found in that country, and that even the vapour from a fracture or wound in the stem or any other part of it, from which a milky liquid almost in a stream exudes, which comes in contact with the eye, invariably causes total blindness, and death immediately any particle of the juice comes in contact with the blood. Be this as it may, I certainly observed in Logazohy and some neighbouring krooms an extraordinary number of blind persons, as well as blind dogs, which naturally excited my curiosity. I thought that this was occasioned by the ravages of the small-pox, but I observed that many were totally blind where no signs of small-pox were visible, (though this disease is very prevalent here as well as in all the neighbouring kingdoms to the north and east of these mountains,) but upon inquiry, I found that the blindness was attributed to coming in contact with this plant.[17] None but the inhabitants of the Dassa mountains, it is said, can safely make use of this plant. It was also stated to me, that three years ago, when an attempt was made upon a certain large town, on one of these mountains, the inhabitants poisoned the waters which ran near the Dahoman camp, from which the besiegers obtained their supplies, and in consequence, that some thousands of the Dahoman army perished in the most excruciating agony. On this account the siege was abandoned. No other attempt has ever since been made to take this town, though wells might be dug and water obtained with very little trouble, for springs are numerous and copious in this neighbourhood.