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next the skin, night and day, over the chest and stomach, though for the sake of clean¬ 
liness the garment should be constantly changed. Especially is this necessary at night 
time, when very dangerous chills often occur by the sudden lowering of the temperature 
after midnight and the exposure of the naked body to this lowered temperature when 
covered with perspiration. The best form of underclothing of this kind is merino vests 
and merino drawers. Pantaloons are preferable to the short drawers which are sometimes 
worn, which reach no further down than the knee. The reason of this is that it is as 
well to protect the calf of the leg as much as possible from the attacks of insects which 
may succeed in piercing the trousers with their probosces, but find it difficult to get 
through the merino as well. Many of the ulcers from which people suffer in Central 
Africa have their origin in mosquito bites, or in the attacks of certain flies which deposit 
their eggs under the skin. While a merino vest should be worn next the skin at night, 
the drawers, of course, are removed, and it is only the upper part of the body (especially 
the stomach) which requires careful protection from chill. Night-gowns are quite obsolete. 
I believe these indecent inadequacies still survive in remote parts of the United Kingdom 
and on the benighted “ Continent,” but they have long since been banished from the 
life of Europeans in the tropics. Sleeping suits or paijamas are worn. These consist of 
a jacket and trousers. They can be obtained at any shop in London. The most suitable 
material is of silk and wool, but cotton paijamas are quite sufficient for ordinary purposes, 
provided a merino vest is worn. Clad in paijamas the wearer can with perfect propriety 
walk about on the deck of a steamer or on the verandah of his house in the early 
morning. 
Another much praised invention which is almost useless in Central Africa is the pith 
helmet. Such a thing, I suppose, is scarcely ever seen there now. By far the most 
suitable hat is a light canvas helmet or a large thick felt hat with a huge brim, which is 
sufficiently stiff to turn up or down to shade the wearer’s face or to allow the cool air to 
have free access as the case may be. The Terai hat is, on the whole, the best kind, but 
it does not appear to me to have a sufficiently wide brim. I believe suitable felt hats, 
cheap and of the kind I am inclined tc recommend, can be purchased at the Army and 
Navy Stores. No hat should be heavy. All hats should, if possible, be ventilated by 
small holes at the top. Another kind of hat, which is very useful and protects the head 
a good deal from the sun, is the straw hat with a wide brim supplied to the blue-jackets 
in the Navy in tropical countries. These are called, I believe, “ Sennet ” hats. Besides 
other places, they can be obtained from Messrs. S. W. Silver and Co., of Cornhill. 
A small round polo cap is very useful for wearing on the head when sitting on 
verandahs, or under the awning of a steamer. To go about with a bare head outside a 
house is often bad, as one is exposed to catching cold from the breeze, or may even feel 
the effect of the sun through the awning of a steamer, or by refraction from a wall 
or a piece of bare ground. 
2. Clothes.—It is a good thing for a traveller to take out with him all his old English 
clothes, which prove to be very useful in the cool uplands of British Central Africa. A 
warm great-coat is absolutely essential. It should be remembered that people suffer much 
more from cold in British Central Africa than they do from heat} A macintosh which 
will not come to pieces in warm weather is also useful for going about in the rain. A man 
should never be without his great coat in Central Africa. He may need it at any moment, 
especially if he has been perspiring freely and evening is drawing near. The evening 
dress, which is usually worn by employes of the British Central Africa Administration, 
consists of an ordinary dress coat, white shirt, white tie, dress waistcoat of yellow cloth 
with brass buttons, and black trousers. A short evening coat without tails is often worn. 
Lounge coats and smoking jackets come in very handy. 
Amongst other exposed absurdities are knee-boots, that is to say, boots which are 
1 N.B.—The great coat should not fit tightly to the figure; it should be comfortably loose and provided 
with a very deep collar which can, if necessary, be turned up to shield the neck and throat, and reach 
almost to the back of the head. 
