CHAPTER XIV 



THE ZAMBEZIAN CLIMATE 



If you were to visit the regions bordering on the 

 River Zambezi in the winter months of June and 

 July, the chmate would awaken an ardent desire in 

 you to remain there for the remainder of your life. 

 It is quite perfect. Warm, brilhant days, with a 

 delicious touch of freshness increasing to an evening 

 sharpness which necessitates flannels and a light 

 overcoat. What could be more delightful ? It is 

 a European climate in the land of romance and 

 adventure — a balmy, almost bracing atmosphere in 

 the land of Livingstone and Kirk. 



But let us now turn to the reverse side of the 

 picture. Let us contemplate for a brief moment 

 the Zambezi in summer — in the months of No- 

 vember and December. At this time of the year 

 the heat, it must be admitted, is very great, the 

 conditions exhausting in the extreme, and the 

 entire region, from the casual visitor's point of 

 view, an excellent place to get away from. Now 

 are the mosquitoes let loose on the land, and fever, 

 that curse of tropical Africa, rears once more its 

 ill-omened head. 



The winter months, or dry season, extend, with 



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