392 THE ZAMBEZIAN CLIMATE 



My own rule, and that of nearly all my contem- 

 poraries of the early nineties, has been to abstain 

 from nothing whose moderate use at home would 

 be beneficial, but somewhat to vary the hours at 

 which certain articles of diet — notably stimulants 

 — are taken. In one's own house, and in conditions 

 in which but shght exposure to the sun need be 

 incurred, stimulants with the midday meal are in 

 no way harmful, and may be beneficial ; but I do 

 not advocate their use when, either in the form of 

 outdoor work or marching, considerable heat has to 

 be subsequently experienced. I must, 1 fear, plead 

 guilty to being a great believer in the efficacy of the 

 sunset whisky and soda. My view of the matter 

 is that this, the first spirit which should be par- 

 taken of during the day, is rendered necessary by 

 the fact that late afternoon is the time at which 

 the day's fatigue first begins to be seriously felt. 

 Clearly, therefore, it is the hour at which the 

 human organisation requires assisting. I have been 

 told that the two occasions in the twenty-four hours 

 at which most deaths from natural causes occur fall 

 at about 4 a.m. and in the late afternoon ; and, 

 although I do not desire to be understood as advo- 

 cating precautionary measures in the middle of the 

 night, as it were, yet I feel that nothing but benefit 

 can result from adopting them when the rim of 

 the sun disappears below the horizon. Wholesome 

 Portuguese red and white wines form excellent 

 beverages for ordinary occasions, and are much less 

 liable to disturb the functions of the body than 

 beer, except perhaps the lightest Lager. 



But the fact should by no means be lost sight of 



