638 VII^AGE OF KIIJMANE. 



be the result. In this hope and proposed effort, I am 

 joined by my brother Charles, who has come from 

 America, after seventeen years' separation, for the 

 purpose. We expect success through the influence of 

 that Spirit who already aided the efforts to open the 

 country, and who has since turned the public mind 

 towards it. A failure may be experienced by sudden 

 rash speculation, over-stocking the markets there, and 

 raising the prices against ourselves. But I propose to 

 spend some more years of labour, and shall be thankful 

 if I see the system fairly begun in an open pathway 

 which will eventually benefit both Africa and England. 



The village of Kihmane stands on a great mud bank, 

 and is surrounded by extensive swamps and rice-grounds. 

 The banks of the river are lined with mangrove-bushes, 

 the roots of which, and the slimy banks on which they 

 grow, are alternately exposed to the tide and sun. The 

 houses are well built of brick and lime ; the latter from 

 Mozambique. If one digs down two or three feet in any 

 part of the site of the village, he comes to water : hence 

 the walls built on this mud bank gradually subside ; pieces 

 are sometimes sawn off the doors below, because the walls 

 in which they are fixed have descended into the ground, 

 so as to leave the floors higher than the bottom of the 

 doors. It is almost needless to say that Kilimane is very 

 unhealthy. A man of plethoric temperament is sure to 

 get fever ; and, concerning a stout person one may hear 

 the remark, " Ah ! he will not live long, he is sure to 

 die." 



A Hamburg vessel was lost near the bar before we 

 came down. The men were much more regular in then- 

 habits than English sailors, so I had an opportunity of 

 observing the fever, acting as a slow poison. They felt 

 " out of sorts " only, but gradually became pale, bloodless, 

 and emaciated, then weaker and weaker, till at last they 

 sank more like oxen bitten by tsetse than any disease 

 I ever saw. The captain, a strong robust young man, 

 remained in perfect health for about three months, but 

 was at last knocked down suddenly, and made as helpless 

 as a child, by this terrible disease. He had imbibed 

 a foolish prejudice against qiiinine, our sheet-anchor in 

 the complaint. This is rather a professional subject, 

 but I introduce it here, in order to protest against the 

 prejudice as almost entirely unfounded. Quinine is 



