280 FATAL EFFECTS OF MALAEIA. Chap. XIII. 



the natives of the different tribes, which now form the 

 Makololo. They are generally truthful, unless they have 

 some self-interest at stake ; and they cannot be made to 

 combine to propagate any downright falsehood. Taking 

 their statements as probably true, the whole party consisted 

 of twenty-two persons, of whom nine were Europeans, and 

 thirteen people of colour ; of these five Europeans and four 

 natives perished by fever in less than three months. The 

 missionary associate of Helmore was then left in a some- 

 what trying position. Four out of the nine Europeans had 

 succumbed to the disease, and his own wife was lying ill, and 

 soon to be the fifth victim. He had been but a short time 

 in Africa, his knowledge of the native language was of course 

 limited, his influence small, and he had no experience : ac- 

 cordingly he took the wise course of leaving the country ; 

 his wife died before he reached the healthy desert. The 

 native servants from the south, who had never seen the 

 fever in their own country, thought that the party had been 

 poisoned by the Makololo ; but, although they are heathens, 

 and have little regard for human life, they are not quite so 

 bad as that. The spear, and not poison, is their weapon. 

 There is no occasion for suspecting other poison than malaria, 

 that being more than enough. We have witnessed all the 

 symptoms of tins poison scores of times, and, from the survi- 

 vors' description, believe the deaths to have been caused by 

 severe African fever, and nothing else. We much regretted 

 that, though we were on the same river lower down, we were 

 not aware of their being at Linyanti till too late to render 

 the medical aid they so much needed. It is undoubtedly 

 advisable that every Mission should have a medical man as 

 an essential part of its staff. 



