90 



THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT 



CHAP. 



night at the end of the march. They are divided into 

 groups of from four to eight men. When camp is made, 

 these groups throw together their store into a common 

 stock, and appoint one of their number as cook ; the 

 others gather twigs to make the fire. After all prepara- 

 tions have been made, they surround the pot, and take 

 turns at dipping their hands into its contents until all is 

 finished. But in a game country each man will carry 

 with him as much meat as is allowed him. While on 

 the march, from morning until night, they were busy 

 devouring the flesh they had with them. At home, in 

 Zanzibar, these people are accustomed to a fish and 

 grain diet. Consequently, upon their entering into a 

 game country and eating an unlimited quantity of meat, 

 dysentery soon breaks out among them. We found 

 great difficulty in checking the ravages of this ailment, 

 but at length managed to devise a cure which proved 

 effectual in almost every case. I very much doubt 

 whether this cure would meet with the approbation 

 of the medical profession ; but, nevertheless, for the 

 porters it proved of great service. When one of the 

 men complained of pains in the abdomen, we at once 

 gave him a strong purgative of castor oil, if we had it 

 in stock ; if not, three or four " Livingston rousers," or 

 several vegetable laxatives. Two hours later, we gave 

 him twenty-five grains of ipecac and five grains of 

 opium, pulverized and mixed with five drams of water. 

 This dose we repeated every two hours, and I know 

 of no case in which it proved ineffectual. However, it 

 was not until after months of experiment that we 

 discovered this cure ; and in the meantime we had the 

 misfortune to lose many of our best men from dysentery. 



