94 THE GREAT COMPANIES 



into high plateau country, with elevations in the 

 Namuli country of 3,000 feet, at Villa Paiva de 

 Andrada 4,000 feet, and at Mecotza-cotza, on the 

 borders of Angoniland, of 4,500 feet. Here it is 

 cool and salubrious, well-watered by perennially 

 running, limpid streams, and the murderous mos- 

 quito is left behind. Here, as your eye foUows 

 contour after contour of rolling, undulating, upland 

 grass country, you realise that this is indeed a white 

 man's home ; here you could colonise and raise up 

 healthy children, and doubtless live as long or 

 longer than would be possible in Europe. With 

 all this, however, fever is not unknown, even at 

 these elevations, although I have sometimes thought 

 that the malarial germs may after all, and in spite 

 of the assurances we receive to the contrary, be 

 wholly unconnected with local influences ; in other 

 words, that they may slumber in the system during 

 the journey from the mosquito-haunted river, and 

 make their appearance in surroundings which would 

 not otherwise be hkely to harbour them. As yet, 

 unfortunately, with all the progress in the know- 

 ledge of tropical diseases which has been made by 

 the medical profession, we know but little of this 

 vital question of fever and its causes. 



Zambezia as a whole consists broadly of three 

 separate systems, which for the sake of convenience 

 we may group as follows. The lower and best 

 known system, which follows the course of the 

 river, is well watered, and easy of access. Then 

 there is the extensive elevated region I have just 

 referred to, which, by reason of its distance from 

 the coast and its general inaccessibihty, is almost 



