348 
MADAGASCAR. 
I think that the attacks of fever are generally 
brought on by carelessness in this respect. A 
hammock is perhaps the safest arrangement; but 
this depends entirely upon the bearing power 
of the house in which it is slung. It is always 
well to try the posts before trusting one’s self to 
them, as ropes have been known to give way, 
and hammocks to deposit their unconscious bur¬ 
den upon the floor in the dark hours of the night, 
in a manner which never fails to amuse the on¬ 
looker, but hardly commends itself to the un¬ 
fortunate subject of the accident. Sleeping on 
or near the floor is a practice which cannot be 
too strongly objected to. It is in the night that 
the ground exhales the miasmatic vapour, which 
the weary sleeper breathes in copious draughts, 
until at length the system becomes impregnated 
with the fever germs, and a severe attack of 
intermittent is the inevitable result. 
The first impulse of the newly arrived stranger 
is to walk a great deal, and to signalise his first 
experience of Malagasy roads by some feat of 
endurance or manly strength. I have heard 
of an illustrious visitor who waded the muddy 
roads of the forests in a pair of Brixham fisher¬ 
men’s boots, and of one lady tourist who did 
miracles in the way of climbing into the Hova 
capital with men’s bluchers and an alpenstock. 
The experienced voyager, however, dispenses 
