CHAPTER XVI. 



A RAPID MARCH. 



The rains, after a comparatively short duration, 

 lasting over two months, had drawn off for a while. 

 The dry earth had everywhere sprung into life, and 

 presented one with an interesting and unending 

 array of wild plants and flowers, lending colour to 

 one's rambles, and clothing the views with the 

 picturesqueness of detail. The rapidity of the 

 change is typical of all things equatorial. The 

 birds appear even more numerous than ever. I 

 noted one very pretty specimen, all light green, 

 with a yellow breast. A few mosquitoes have visited 

 my tent, but did not bite me. The natives were 

 everywhere building their villages under the shadow 

 of our protection. They were at last induced to 

 bring into the camp their produce for sale, which 

 was a godsend to us, as we had for months past 

 been pathetically short of necessaries such as 

 vegetables, eggs, and butter ; in fact, we had had 

 none at all, and had lived nearly entirely on goat 

 or sheep. They work hard at their crops, pro- 

 ducing peas, spinach, potatoes, and maize. The 

 natives may be seen in the illustration breaking 

 ground with their "jimbies" before sowing the 



seed for their crops. 



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