800 CACAO 



of course, is less harmful than alcoholic drinks. The 

 famous " lime and soda squash " of the West Indies is also 

 calculated to upset digestion if drunk too freely. 



In no place is the effect of drinking while undergoing 

 exertion better exhibited than on a field day with troops 

 in the sun. It has been noted by the writer that the men 

 who first " fall out " are those whose water-bottles are most 

 freely used, while he who refrains goes through the work 

 with a minimum of discomfort. If the mind is made up 

 to refrain from drinking on the field to a greater extent 

 than a mere wash of the mouth and throat, it is absolutely 

 certain that a great deal more work can be done with less 

 discomfort and less likelihood of feeling the after effects of 

 fatigue. The more you drink with the view to getting cool 

 the hotter you get, no matter whether water or alcohol 

 is imbibed. After heavy fatigue a quarter-pint is far better 

 than a quart, but many (the writer included) have found 

 it impossible to refrain from indulging in large quantities, 

 although possessing the knowledge that it leads to dis- 

 comfort. 



Indulgence of this kind, be it only ice water or " soft 

 drink," has a prejudicial effect upon the digestive organs, 

 and the first upset of the newcomer generally arises from 

 this cause. 



A cacao estate may be in an unhealthy district, but in 

 the majority of instances when the hygienic conditions are 

 properly arranged Europeans and others are able to live 

 in comfort and at ease to their old age, examples of which 

 can be referred to. The cacao estate is not per se un- 

 healthy ; some of them are when situated in doubtful 

 districts, but the majority can with attention to hygiene 

 be made as comfortable as any residence in a temperate 

 climate, and some " old standards " are ready to proclaim 

 them in regard to health prospects far ahead of anything 

 in a temperate climate. 



Much is made of fever in a tropical climate, but a careful 

 examination of the death-rate shows that malignant fevers 

 are much less prevalent than scarlet fever and small-pox 



