For an hour Hythe toiled. He had neglected to bring anything of the nature of a spade, and had to recourse to his bare hands. Handful after handful of the noxious mud he scooped up and passed through the manhole into the compartment without, till the interior of the tank was perfectly free from anything of the nature to retard the action of the pumps. After a lapse of two hours and a half from the time of entering the compartment the two men, their diving-dresses covered in slime, gave the pre-arranged signal to start the pumps. Ten minutes later both the compartment and the tank were emptied of water, and the task of replacing the cover was proceeded with. But even then Hythe, nothing if not practical, refused to come on deck. He asked for a couple of buckets full of strong disinfectant fluid to be sent down, and, using a mop vigorously, he thoroughly scrubbed out the interior of the compartment, finishing up by mopping his companion’s dress with the liquid, while Kenwyn performed the same office for him. Thus the risk of fever from the river-mud was entirely obviated. "I would like a cold bath," exclaimed Kenwyn as the two officers rejoined their comrades. "You jolly well won’t, then," replied Hythe emphatically. "At least unless you wish to pay an indefinite visit to Davy Jones. Why, man, you are as warm as you can possibly be. Have a hot bath, if you like. I will, with plenty of disinfectant in it." By this time the "Aphrodite," her draught aft considerately lessened, was afloat and resuming her voyage. Kenwyn had had his hot bath and foolishly sat in the fairly strong breeze to cool himself afterwards. Before night he was lying unconscious in his bunk, prostrate with blackwater fever. CHAPTER XXIX. THE "PRIDE OF RHODESIA." Kenwyn’s serious illness was a source of anxiety and perplexity to his chief. Captain Restronguet was loath to leave him ashore in an unhealthy district where medical comforts were of a most primitive nature, while to keep the patient on board was undoubtedly detrimental to the health of the rest of the crew and consequently a stumbling-block to the success of the expedition. Finally he compromised the difficulty. Kenwyn was to be isolated from the rest of the crew, Mylor and Lancarrow volunteering to act as nurses, until the "Aphrodite" entered the gorge through which the Zambezi flows. Here the patient was to be landed, placed in a tent and left in charge of the two men till the "Aphrodite’s" return.