SPORT IN MOZAMBIQUE 



It is at this season that the natives everywhere 

 light immense fires which cleanse the soil. Fed by- 

 fuel dried by a tropical sun, the fire rapidly spreads, 

 and, should there be a strong breeze, does so at an 

 astounding rate. The sight soon becomes almost 

 fairy-like. A huge wave of flame, about a mile long 

 and twelve feet high, rolls along with a terrific roar, 

 preceded by vast clouds of smoke. Under this fiery 

 kiss the tall grass is mown down and shrivelled up ; 

 the quivering trees are enveloped in a destructive 

 whirlwind which strips their branches ; the tall palms, 

 with their big fleshy leaves, seem to tremble under the 

 cruel caress of the flames, while the hollow-stemmed 

 bamboos crack with the heat, sounding like a fusilade 

 through the shady ravines. 



Everything flees before the scourge, the animals 

 warned at a great distance by their sense of smell, 

 disperse on all sides ; the snakes seek safety below 

 ground ; the members of the vast insect tribe climb, 

 run, hop, or fly away in terror. The birds are the only 

 living creatures which hail its advent with joy. 

 Myriads of bee-eaters, pink, green, blue, black, and 

 ruddy, feast on the insects, which they pursue with 

 joyous cries. Hornbills and kites he in wait for 

 shrewmice, while higher up soars the red-legged eagle 

 watching the maddened flight of the palm-rats and 

 hares. But the flames are now far off, and of all the 

 dense bush which obstructed sight and walking, there 

 remain only a few ashes, charred and smoking 



(20) 



