58 AFRICA SPEAKS 



of deaths among the white people who have been con- 

 nected with the mine. It is not only a bad fever 

 district but also a sleeping-sickness region. 



Before reaching the mine we felt the first stings of 

 the tsetse fly. Austin was riding with me when one 

 of these insects bit him. He jumped and said some- 

 thing had "bit his leg off!" Some people may get 

 used to its bite, but each one that I received felt as if 

 somebody had stuck me with a red-hot needle, and it 

 left a white bHster which itched for hours. There are 

 many species of tsetse flies, but the two which are most 

 feared, because of their fatal results to man and beast, 

 are the Glossina morsitans, which carries the parasite 

 Trypanosoma brucei to many animals, such as cattle 

 and horses, causing the disease known as nagana, and 

 the closely related species Glossina palpalis, wliich was 

 introduced into Tanganyika from Uganda and the 

 Congo. The latter carries the sleeping sickness to 

 man. This scourge of Africa is httle larger than the 

 common house fly, but is capable of penetrating through 

 the tough hides of such animals as antelopes and 

 zebras, in order to reach the blood stream. This 

 insect is only found in certain areas known as fly 

 belts, having definite boundaries, and after we had 

 passed beyond the mine a few miles they ceased to 

 bother us. Subsequent experiences proved that they 

 were not only restricted to definite areas, but that they 

 were active only during the daytime, remaining dor- 

 mant throughout the hours of darkness. For this 

 reason we often went after our drinking water after 

 night had faUen, because it was necessary to pass 

 through this fly belt on the outgoing and return 

 journeys. 



