AN OFFICER ENTANGLED IN MANGROVES. 155 



exertions of our collectors in Natural History. 

 Without wishing to bore my readers with another 

 long musquito story, I think the following may be 

 interesting. 



One of the officers on a shootinof excursion lost 

 his way and got entangled in a mangrove forest, 

 where the ground befing a soft mud, travelling 

 became very laborious, particularly in a tempera- 

 ture of 85° and without water ; fatigue hastened 

 by thirst, at length quite knocked up my shipmate, 

 who threw himself exhausted on the o-round. In 

 vain did he seek for a little rest, for no sooner was 

 he quiet than swarms of musquitoes assailed him, 

 and forced him again on his legs ; unwelcome as 

 these tormenting visitors generally are, they were 

 probably in this case the means of saving my friend's 

 life, as goaded on by their unceasing attacks, to 

 exertions otherwise out of the question, he even- 

 tually reached assistance, and was brought on board 

 in a most helpless condition. 



The tide here was two hours later than at Foul 

 Point : the greatest rise noticed in the ship w^as 

 thirty feet, which was seven feet less than we had 

 found it in the yawl. 



We had several heavy squalls from eastward this 

 afternoon, and during the early part of the night, 

 with rain and thunder. 



March 15. — The morning broke dull and gloomy, 

 with a light breeze from the eastward. There were 

 altogether evident symptoms of a decided and ira- 



