A Popular Account of Dr. Livingstone's Expedition to the Zambesi and Its Tributaries: And of the Discovery of Lakes Shirwa and Nyassa, 1858-1864Livingstone, David
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A Popular Account of Dr. Livingstone's Expedition to the Zambesi and Its Tributaries: And of the Discovery of Lakes Shirwa and Nyassa, 1858-1864
Livingstone, David
Africa, Central -- Description and travel; Africa, Central -- Discovery and exploration
We were in the habit of walking from our beds into the salt water at
sunrise, for a bath, till a large crocodile appeared at the
bathing-place, and from that time forth we took our dip in the sea, away
from the harbour, about midday. This is said to be unwholesome, but we
did not find it so. It is certainly better not to bathe in the mornings,
when the air is colder than the water--for then, on returning to the
cooler air, one is apt to get a chill and fever. In the mouth of the
river, many saw-fish are found. Rowe saw one while bathing--caught it by
the tail, and shoved it, "snout on," ashore. The saw is from a foot to
eighteen inches long. We never heard of any one being wounded by this
fish; nor, though it goes hundreds of miles up the river in fresh water,
could we learn that it was eaten by the people. The hippopotami
delighted to spend the day among the breakers, and seemed to enjoy the
fun as much as we did.
Severe gales occurred during our stay on the Coast, and many small sea-
birds (_Prion Banksii_, Smith) perished: the beach was strewn with their
dead bodies, and some were found hundreds of yards inland; many were so
emaciated as to dry up without putrefying. We were plagued with myriads
of mosquitoes, and had some touches of fever; the men we brought from
malarious regions of the interior suffered almost as much from it here as
we did ourselves. This gives strength to the idea that the civilized
withstand the evil influences of strange climates better than the
uncivilized. When negroes return to their own country from healthy
lands, they suffer as severely as foreigners ever do.
On the 31st of January, 1861, our new ship, the "Pioneer," arrived from
England, and anchored outside the bar; but the weather was stormy, and
she did not venture in till the 4th of February.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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