A Thousand Miles in a Machilla 



quitoes, the result being that the atmosphere in the 

 cabin became horribly hot, damp, and stuffy. The 

 night was very dark, and as the crew could not see 

 where they were going they kept banging the barge 

 up against the banks and switching through the reeds, 

 making sleep practically impossible ; for if one did 

 drop off for a minute, a sudden jerk woke one up. 

 Reading was out of the question, the only light an 

 indifferent candle in a swinging lantern, so that all 

 we could do was to lie still and wonder what would 

 happen next. For all we knew, the barge might 

 overturn in one of these bumps, and where should 

 we be, shut up in that dark wooden box ? Alto- 

 gether it was one of the most disagreeable experi- 

 ences we ever had, and we were indeed thankful 

 when we reached Port Herald about 2 A.M. and 

 were at last able to get some sleep, though still we 

 dared not open the cabin doors, and were just as 

 hot as before. 



We left the houseboat about 6.30 A.M. and 

 walked to the railway station, being attacked by 

 myriads of mosquitoes en route; these pests were 

 far worse here than on the Zambesi. 



The train started at 7 A.M., following the 

 course of the Shire as far as Chiromo, the head- 

 quarters of the district, a neat, well laid-out station 

 facing the celebrated elephant marsh, and conse- 

 quently a veritable hotbed of mosquitoes. 



An excellent breakfast and luncheon were 

 served on the train. The change of climate 

 freshened us up, and altogether we made a very 

 pleasant journey, greatly enjoying the beautiful 



12 



