Chap. II. AFRICAN FEVER. 47 



A great deal of fever comes in with March and April ; 

 in March, if considerable intervals take place between the 

 rainy days, and in April always, for then large surfaces of 

 mud and decaying vegetation are exposed to the hot sun. 

 In general an attack does not continue long, but it pulls 

 one down quickly ; though when the fever is checked the 

 strength is as quickly restored. It had long been ob- 

 served that those who were stationed for any length of 

 time in one spot, and lived sedentary lives, suffered more 

 from fever than others who moved about and had both 

 mind and body occupied ; but we could not all go in the 

 small vessel when she made her trips, during which the 

 change of place and scenery proved so conducive to 

 health ; and some of us were obliged to remain in charge 

 of the expedition's property, making occasional branch 

 trips to examine objects of interest in the vicinity. 

 Whatever may be the cause of the fever, we observed that 

 all were often affected at the same time, as if from 

 malaria. This was particularly the case during a north 

 wind : it was at first commonly believed that a daily dose 

 of quinine would prevent the attack. For a number of 

 months all our men, except two, took quinine regularly 

 every morning. The fever some times attacked the be- 

 lievers in quinine, while the unbelievers in its prophy- 

 lactic powers escaped. Whether we took it daily, or 

 omitted it altogether for months, made no difference ; the 

 fever was impartial, and seized us on the days of quinine 

 as regularly and as severely as when it remained undis- 

 turbed in the medicine chest, and we finally abandoned 

 the use of it as a prophylactic altogether. The best pre- 

 ventive against fever is plenty of interesting work to do, 

 and abundance of wholesome food to eat. To a man well 

 housed and clothed, who enjoys these advantages, the 

 fever at Tette will not prove a more formidable enemy 

 than a common cold ; but let one of these be wanting — 



