AFRICA. 139 
cited thick clouds of It, which flew Into our 
faces, and inflamed our eyes ; and, as we were 
obliged to inipire it in breathing, our noftrils 
became ulcerated by it. Millions of gnats 
could not have been more intolerable. Our 
lips even were attacked by it, and in fuch a 
manner that the blood ftarted from them 
when we made the leaft effort to fpeak ; fo 
that to pronounce a fentence was next to 
torture. 
To efcape this fcourge, I made preparations 
after dinner for refuming my journey; but a 
ftorm that came on fufpended our march, and 
obliged us to pafs the night near the lake. 
This difappointment, however, was attended 
with fome benefit to my people. " Neceflity," 
fays a French poet, *' is the mother of Inven- 
" ticn.'* In the journey of the morning, they 
had fulfered extremely from the heat of the 
fun. To fccure themfelves from it in future, 
they converted all the dried fheep and antelopes* 
fkins which they had in their poflefTion into 
round hats ; which, being drawn down over 
the ears, and tied with thongs under the chin, 
^ave them a ridiculous kind of refemblance to 
the Alfacians iu the neighbourhood of Straf- 
burgh, 
