United States or Philippines ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
They made better time on the western slope, but the journey became a matter of sheer endurance. Summer was on them in full blaze. The creeks ran full and strong. Thunderstorms blew up out of a clear sky to deluge them. Food was scanty flour and salt and tea; with meat and fish got by the way. And the black flies and mosquitoes swarmed about them maddeningly day and night.
Just about six o'clock, we run up to the Fallaba, the Move's predecessor in working the Ogowe, now a hulk, used as a depot by Hatton and Cookson. She is anchored at the entrance of a creek that runs through to the Fernan Vaz; some say it is six hours' run, others that it is eight hours for a canoe; all agree that there are plenty of mosquitoes.
The heat of the weather was oppressive, and their horses were, at times, rendered almost frantic by the stings of the prairie flies. The nights were suffocating, and it was almost impossible to sleep, from the swarms of mosquitoes. On the 20th of August they resumed their march, keeping along the prairie parallel to Snake River.
The heat, the moonlight, and the mosquitoes would not let them even think of sleep. "That was bully," said Jimmie, "what you did to-day about saving that dog. If it hadn't been for you he'd ha' drownded." "He would not!" said Sammy with punctilious regard for the truth; "it wasn't deep enough."
The last time we crossed it the country rose a few feet, and we journeyed for the remainder of the day, at one time over good plains, at another through brushes, until we found water and feed, at which we stopped for the night, after having travelling about thirteen miles on a W. by N. course. The mosquitoes were so extremely troublesome at this place that we called it Mosquito Brush.
It is quite remarkable in the north-west that such plagues are most numerous in the more remote regions, and they disappear in proportion as the country is opened up and settled. Finally, it is a relief to know that these mosquitoes convey no disease even the far-spread malaria is unknown in the region. Why did I not take a "dope" or "fly repellent," ask many of my friends.
The mosquitoes and flies were now coming thick and fast. I thought them very bad, but George insisted that you could not even call this a beginning. I wore a veil of black silk net, but the mesh was hardly fine enough, and the flies managed to crawl through. They would get their heads in and then kick and struggle and twist till they were all through, when they immediately proceeded to work.
"'Men have died, and worms have eaten them, but not for love. Ginger is still hot in the mouth, and there are more fish in the sea than have ever yet nibbled at your bait and spurned it. Do you know why there are no mosquitoes at Sampaolo, and no bandits? There are none Pia gave me her word for it, Pia mia gave me her pretty feminine word. But do you know why? Pia told me why. The wind, Signore.
Still, they joked over the thing as they settled down, and after a time only the glow of the still burning fire told that human beings were somewhere near by. They slept soundly, despite the close quarters, since the air was cool, and, for a wonder, no mosquitoes worried them.
"You come right out of what the folks around here like to call the enemy camp, but it don't matter a little bit. Not a little bit. The whole of Sachigo's standin' wide open for you to walk through." Then he dashed his hand across his face to clear the voracious mosquitoes.
Word Of The Day