442 THE LAND OF THE LION 



There are many admirably equipped medical men in the 

 country, but the utter lack of system, the purposeless mud- 

 dling, as it seems to the onlooker, of the Home Authori- 

 ties, results in needless loss of precious life. I must give 

 one instance of what I mean. 



Mombassa, and Kilindine, its port, are hotbeds of fever. 

 One energetic medical man, reasonably supported, could 

 destroy malaria there in one season. But no, nothing is 

 done. The people drink from old Portuguese and Arab 

 wells. And even in so small a community of white people 

 hundreds of severe cases of fever occur yearly. 



The German authorities would not tolerate for a week such 

 a state of things. But in English territory "what is every- 

 body's business is nobody's business," as the Irish tenant said 

 to his landlord when he asked him why no one shot at him. 



Tent. Your tent is your home; take pains with it. 

 Get it from Edgington, 2 Duke Street, London Bridge 

 No tents that I have seen compare with his tropical green 

 tent, certainly none made in America. Get it big enough. 

 One tent for each man. Mine is 9 x 8 x 7^. Bath room 

 extends four feet farther; a veranda about as far in front. 

 Net pockets around side of tent inside, a leather strap 

 studded with brass hooks to fasten around tent poles, and 

 a ground sheet to hook up inside. This is important, as it 

 makes it harder for ants, rats, and snakes to get in during 

 the night. Have your bed (made by Edgington) extra 

 strong. Have also a light canvas-covered table, an easy 

 canvas chair, a smaller one for tent use, and a dining table^ 

 the legs folding under. 



Procure the brown Jaeger blankets, sown into a sack, and 

 a thin hair mattress, with a couple of good pillows. These> 

 with a heavy coat added for the chilly evenings and nights, 

 can all be rolled tightly into a canvas hold-all. Mos- 

 quito nets are made by the same firm to fit the tent, and 

 two of these can be carried in the same bedding roll. 



