306 FROM CANOE TO DHOW 



intense, and the mosquitoes persecuted us by hundreds. This 

 town is probably one of the hottest in the island, and we were 

 told that later on, in the rainy season, the place is almost 

 unbearable from the clouds of these insects. 



Our day at Marovoay was occupied chiefly in arranging for 

 leaving for Mojanga the same evening, and in transferring all 

 our baggage to one of the dhows lying in the river. There is an 

 extensive view from the upper part of the town, as the country 

 is very flat for many miles round. In the evening we dined 

 with the governor and his wife in the Idpa, and went down to the 

 river at about nine o'clock. With some difficulty, in the dark- 

 ness, we transferred ourselves and palanquins, etc., from shore 

 to canoe, and from canoe to dhow, and at last were crowded 

 together as thick as we could sit and lie on the little deck. 

 The ship we embarked in was about thirty-five feet long, by 

 fourteen or fifteen feet beam ; the middle portion open to the 

 keel, but with a little deck forward and another aft. This 

 small quarter-deck was about ten to twelve feet square, and 

 when the two large palanquins for the children to sleep in had 

 been plaeetfon ]' fl ^ M ' side, UutfttwH&S not meh space left forgive" 

 adults to pack together, in fact we had about as much roomjas 

 would be found on a good-sized dining-table. 



Soon after ten o'clock we got under way, the tide having 

 begun to ebb for the previous hour or two. There was no wind, 

 so six men rowed us down the stream, accompanying their 

 work with the most curious weird-sounding songs, in Arabic, I 

 suppose (or perhaps Suahili), some of them sounding very comic. 

 We swept down rapidly with the tide, the trees looking dark 

 and gloomy in the uncertain light, and presently the moon rose. 

 After an hour or two we got into the main river, and in a little 

 time had to cast anchor, as the tide had turned. It was a 

 strange night, and we did not get much sleep, as we had not 

 room to turn, so we waited impatiently for the dawn. Dawn, 

 however, brought with it a cloud of mosquitoes from the low 

 swampy ground bordering the river, which was thick with 

 mangroves and rank vegetation. Just at twilight they sur- 

 rounded us by thousands ; but as soon as the sun rose, they 

 disappeared, a gentle breeze sprang up, and we set sail. The 

 river widened as we proceeded, until it became a large estuary, 

 and gradually opened into the Bay of Bembatoka. The breeze 



