The Journal of the Manchester Geographical Society (Volume 4) (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: The natives seemed to be as sensitive to the mosquitoes as ourselves, and -were glad to stand round the fire. I said to During, " I wonder these people can voluntarily and permanently live in this perpetual nuisance." During's reply was, that it was not always so bad as at that season of the year. By-and-by, when we were completely tired out, we decided to turn in, During to a bedstead placed under the eaves of Omari Buya's hut, the bedstead being covered with a thin, muslin-like cloth, to keep out the pests, and Bone and I into the tent, close to, under the mosquito curtains. The tent was thronged with the little blood-suckers, and when either of us shot into the curtains with as quick a dive as we could manage, we had a man each to tuck us in sharp. " Now, Athman," I said to my man, " be ready. Now ! " and carefully lifting the curtain on one side, with just sufficient space to allow for a dive, I suddenly disappeared. I was sorry for Athman, for the mosquitoes were all over his face, and hands, and legs. He rushed out of the tent, most energetically sweeping them off his body. And what about the inside of the curtains ? Alas ! there were scores of mosquitoes already waiting for me, but it was nothing to the hosts which we had shut out. I was weary, but could not sleep for the wretches which had forced their way in; so I went to the slaughter again, and got rid of a few more, and then dosed occasionally. My companion on the other side of the tent appeared to be worse off than myself, for he was constantly complaining of the number he had with him, and at last, driven to despair, he said, " I can stand it no longer." So he got out, and spent the remainder of the night pacing about through the smoke, rifle in hand, against a surprise from wild beasts. I fared better, for I snatch...