PLAGUE OF RED ANTS. 273 



drinking one of our beakers of rum (which had been 

 left in his charge) through a straw, then lying drunk 

 in the sun, and subsequently suffering from fever. 



The Makololos were all there, and as they sat round 

 their fire drinking pombe and smoking bang, they 

 gave us a hearty welcome. Reid had just commenced 

 putting the Search together. Mr. Young informed me 

 that Buckley, whom he had sent back fromPamafunda 

 to take charge of the things left here, had behaved 

 very badly, and had robbed us right and left, 

 a quantity of cloth, provisions, ammunition, &c., 

 having been stolen by him, besides nearly all the 

 cloth left having been destroyed through his negli- 

 gence in not keeping the boats dry. The heat here 

 this evening was most oppressive, the thermometer 

 showing 99*^ in the shade at 6 p.m. 



After a long sit over a jolly fire, when many a 

 yarn was spun, all turned in. Reid had rigged up 

 his mosquito curtains and bed in three sections of 

 the Search^ which he had put together during the day. 

 Mr. Young and Stacy turned into a hut, while I, as 

 usual, put up my curtains on the ground in the open. 

 I had just fallen asleep, bent on a good night's rest, 

 when I was roused by thousands of small red ants biting 

 me sharply all over. The hair of my head, as well as 

 my beard, was full of them, while hundreds swarmed 

 on my clothes and blankets — every individual ant 

 bent on assisting to eat me alive. I don't remember 

 ever having experienced a more disagreeable sensa- 

 tion. There was nothing for it but to jump up and 

 instantly divest myself of every stitch of clothes. When 

 I rose I observed the whole camp in the same plight. 



T 



