"a plague ox the spider." 157 



beautiful deceits of the cunning foe of weakest life. The 

 lovely groves, redolent with the melodies of the various song- 

 sters, wear also the subtile drapery of the spiders, weaving. 

 And the poor traveller must be suddenly recalled from the 

 meditations of the place, must have his thoughts rudely dragged 

 from their free altitude of pleasure, by the quick, light, blood- 

 curdling tramp across his brow, or the sudden, sharp, painful, 

 imperceptible wound on his hand, to frighten the canary which 

 had charmed him, by crying, "A plague on the spider! " The 

 first advances in the groves of Kate ma which were made by 

 these venomous insects were in the night, and the self-introduc- 

 tion was acutely painful. This spider was found to be light- 

 colored and about half an inch in length. One of the uo;liest 

 of the creatures is a black individual, with long hair, about an 

 inch and a quarter long, and three quarters of an inch broad. 

 A large reddish spider is seen as if in great excitement running 

 with wonderful velocity in and out, before and behind, around 

 and over everything. It dwells in a hole, and has an in- 

 geniously contrived door which moves on hinges, and when 

 closed completely covers and obscures the hole. Nearly all the 

 species have beautiful webs, and display great ingenuity in so 

 adjusting them as to entrap the unwary victims of their desire 

 most readily. 



The pleasantness, however, and healthfulness of the country 

 were not enough to prevent the return of fever, and before the 

 time for the departure from Katema had arrived, Livingstone 

 was again a sufferer by this enemy, more subtle than the spider 

 and stronger than the lion. The winter time had come, but the 

 thermometer was at 90°, and he could only toss about in his 

 tattered tent. He was tossing so all day on the 19th, but on 

 the morning of the 20th, he and his faithful band had their 

 friendly parting with Katema and his people. Livingstone had 

 not been able to make much impression on this vain chief 

 about the Bible. It is the experience of all missionaries that 

 the results are painfully small when all must be said through 

 one or two careless and lazy interpreters, who themselves care 

 nothing whatever about that which they are saying. But the 

 chief had furnished guides for the way before them, and they 

 might proceed confidently, if rather sadly. The heroism of Dr. 



