About and Above the Great Falls. 109 



been forsaken, there being no vestige of it now remaining; 

 and until the Booboo creek, which is situated some 20-25 

 miles further up, is reached, no settlements are met 

 with. At about some 10 or 12 miles from the falls, a 

 small clearing, Wakakobi, is found on the East bank, 

 where there are two or three benabs, with some plan- 

 tain, papaw, pepper and pumpkin growing, and with 

 paths leading to a cassava-field aback ; but this has 

 lately been deserted, and is doomed soon to be over- 

 grown by the forest, just as is now to be perceived at 

 another less recently deserted settlement, Karawa, 

 about some 8 or 10 miles further on, on the West bank, 

 where the bush has already taken over a great part of 

 the clearing. 



It was at this latter place that a very memorable 

 encounter with chigoes (Pulex penetrans) took place. 

 All unsuspicious of such creatures, we had entered the 

 old deserted houses and examined the various old imple- 

 ments that had been left about, and it was not until some 

 little time after, when one of the men had entered and 

 almost immediately had felt chigoes and fleas on his bare 

 feet, that the cry of " chigoes" was raised, and a stam- 

 pede ensued. Owing to the long time that the little 

 pests had had to penetrate into our canvas shoes, woollen 

 socks and flannel trousers, an enormous number had 

 accumulated, and for the greater part of the day gave 

 occupation for their riddance. So painstaking was 

 the search, that but one or two escaped notice, and 

 remained to be picked out at a later day. The most 

 unpleasant aspe6l of the case, however, was the uncer- 

 tainty as to the part of one's body that the little pests 

 might penetrate, since as they were many of them at 



