Insects Everywhere 199 



quantities ; you cannot open an egg without finding 

 a chicken there, or certain fruits without discovering 

 worms inside ; native figs (nkuiu) are always full of 

 black ants and meat of maggots. Insects are every- 

 where. Tsetses, wasps, stinging flies, and gnats, 

 occupy themselves with you in the daytime, whilst 

 at night mosquitoes pay you their attention. Charm- 

 ing existence, and one full of surprises, to which, how- 

 ever, you grow accustomed, so much so that when 

 you return to Europe, and have none of these in- 

 conveniences, you miss them, and solitude almost 

 weighs heavily upon you ! 



Life swarms everywhere in these countries, and 

 possesses wonders for the student. I have neither 

 the time nor the pretension to enlarge on this subject. 

 I have contented myself by showing that the hunter 

 has not always to attack big animals. On the hunter 

 returning to camp a swarm of animalculse shares, as 

 you see, in spite of himself, his life . . . and his food. 

 I now return to hunting. 



About the end of December 1895, the expedition, 

 continuing its scientific work, had crossed the 

 Aroangwa and was in the Barotses' country, very 

 far from the scene of my first hunting exploits. 1 



On the other hand, the country has almost the 

 same appearance ; the grass, which is late, is a foot 

 high, and at this period equivalent to our spring 

 in Africa everything is a tender green. We have 



1 The end of November and the beginning of December had been 

 fruitful in results ; but, for want of space, I have not been able 

 to mention them. I now come to a new sport, giraffe-hunting. 



