272 Wild Life in Central Africa. 



hand to put on, and I warn sportsmen or travellers not to 

 sit in the chill of evening in damp clothes, as nothing is 

 more likely to cause fever. 



If one is cold in a tent, wear plenty of clothes, and a 

 warm pair of socks helps to keep the body warm. I have 

 sometimes had hot ashes spread under the camp bed, and 

 when undergoing an attack of the " shakes " (ague), a glass 

 bottle filled with hot water will do as a bed warming pan 

 and be a comfort. 



Never go out in a hot sun without head covering, as one 

 will often see men do. A touch of the sun is not an affair 

 of minutes, but simply a matter of a second or two. If the 

 hat has to be removed, it is, therefore, best to get under 

 the shade of a tree, or anything else that will give shade, 

 and not stand uncovered under a blazing tropical sun. 



I am afraid I do not always practise what I preach, but 

 all the same the above hints are good advice, as I know 

 from experience of my own and of others. 



As to medicines, there are certain well-known drugs that 

 should be taken, though I do not advise a sportsman to buy 

 a ready-made medicine chest, which usually contains many 

 medicines which will seldom be needed. A fair quantity 

 of the following are necessary : 



Quinine, vegetable laxative, calomel, Livingstone's 

 rousers (good for natives), boracic acid powder (most 

 useful), phenacetin, permanganate of potash, carbolic 

 oil, toothache cure, lint, surgical needles and thread, 

 scissors, forceps, tourniquet, sticking plaster, adhesive 

 tape, vaseline, safety pins, bandages, lancet, etc. 



Most of these things will be used for treating natives,, 

 who often get bad cuts and scratches. The most common 

 complaint among them is constipation, which causes fever 

 and headaches ; and their cuts are treated so badly that 

 they often develop into large ulcers. 



For the sportsman the best drink is hot tea, as the water 

 for it has to be boiled, which kills dangerous germs. 

 When one is hot and tired, nothing is more refreshing than 

 tea, and if I go off for a day in the bush, I usually carry a 



