242 FEVER — ARRIVAL AT AMBACA. 



it was with difficulty the reflection of the star could be 

 seen. When the trough was placed on a box to prevent 

 the moisture entering from below, so much dew was de- 

 posited on the outside of the roof that it was soon neces- 

 sary, for the sake of distinct vision, to wipe the glass. 

 This would not have been of great consequence, but a short 

 exposure to this dew was so sure to bring on a fresh fever 

 that I was obliged to give up observation by night alto- 

 gether. The inside of the only covering I now had was 

 not much better, but under the blanket one is not so liable 

 to the chill which the dew produces. 



It would have afforded me pleasure to have cultivated a 

 more intimate acquaintance with the inhabitants of this 

 part of the country, but the vertigo produced by frequent 

 fevers made it as much as I could do to stick on the ox 

 and crawl along in misery. In crossing the Lombe, my 

 ox Sinbad, in the indulgence of his propensity to strike out 

 a new path for himself, plunged overhead into a deep hole, 

 and so soused me that I was obliged to move on to dry my 

 clothing without calling on the Europeans who live on the 

 bank. This I regretted, for all the Portuguese were very 

 kind, and, like the Boers placed in similar circumstances, 

 feel it a slight to be passed without a word of salutation. 

 But we went on to a spot where orange-trees had been 

 planted by the natives themselves, and where abundance 

 of that refreshing fruit was exposed for sale. 



On entering the district of Ambaca, we found the land- 

 scape enlivened by the appearance of lofty mountains in 

 the distance, the grass comparatively short, and the whole 

 country at this time looking gay and verdant. We crossed 

 the Lucalla by means of a large canoe kept there by a man 

 who farms the ferry from the Government and charges 

 about a penny per head. A few miles beyond the Lucalla 

 we came to the village of Ambaca, an important place in 

 former times, but now a mere paltry village, beautifully 

 situated on a little elevation in a plain surrounded on all 

 hands by lofty mountains. It has a jail, and a good house 



