lOi THE FEVER. Chap. X. 



CHAPTER X. 



The fever — Its symptoms — Remedies of the native doctors — Hospitality 

 of Sekeletu and his people — One of their reasons for polygamy — They 

 cultivate largely — The Makalaka or subject tribes — Sebituane's policy 

 respecting them — Their affection for him — Products of the soil — 

 Instrument of culture — The tribute — Distributed by the chief — A 

 warlike demonstration — Lechulatebe's provocations — The Makololo de- 

 termine to punish him — The Bechuanas — Meaning of the term — Three 

 divisions of the great family of South Africans. 



On the 30th of May I was seized with fever for the first time. 

 We reached the town of Linyanti on the 23rd ; and as my habits 

 were suddenly changed from great exertion to comparative in- 

 activity, at the commencement of the cold season I suffered from 

 a severe attack of stoppage of the secretions, closely resembling 

 a common cold. Warm baths and drinks relieved me, and I 

 had no idea but that I was now recovering from the effects of 

 a chill, got by leaving the warm waggon in the evening in order 

 to conduct family-worship at my people's fire. But on the 2nd 

 of June a relapse showed to the Makololo, who knew the com- 

 plaint, that my indisposition was no other than the fever, with 

 which I have since made a more intimate acquaintance. Cold 

 east winds prevail at this time ; and as they come over the 

 extensive flats inundated by the Chobe, as well as many other 

 districts where pools of rain-water are now drying up, they may 

 be supposed to be loaded with malaria and watery vapour, and 

 many cases of fever follow. The usual symptoms of stopped 

 secretion are manifested — shivering and a feeling of coldness, 

 though the skin is quite hot to the touch of another. The heat 

 in the axilla, over the heart and region of the stomach, was in 

 my case 1 00° ; but along the spine and at the nape of the neck 

 103°. The internal processes were all, with the exception of 

 the kidneys and liver, stopped ; the latter, in its efforts to free 

 the blood of noxious particles, often secretes enormous quantities 

 of bile. There were pains along the spine, and frontal headache. 

 Anxious to ascertain whether the natives possessed the know- 

 ledge of any remedy of which we were ignorant, I requested the 

 assistance of one of Sekeletu's doctors. He put some roots into 



