Our Guide Having
Informed Him Of What He Knew And Conceived To Be Our Object, Was
Favoured In Return With
A long reply in well-sounding blank verse; at
the end of every line the guide, who listened with deep
Attention,
responded with a grunt, which soon became so ludicrous that our men
burst into a loud laugh. Neither the poet nor the responsive guide
took the slightest notice of their rudeness, but kept on as
energetically as ever to the end. The speech, or more probably our
bad manners, made some impression on our guide, for he declined,
although offered double pay, to go any further.
A great deal of fever comes in with March and April; in March, if
considerable intervals take place between the rainy days, and in
April always, for then large surfaces of mud and decaying vegetation
are exposed to the hot sun. In general an attack does not continue
long, but it pulls one down quickly; though when the fever is checked
the strength is as quickly restored. It had long been observed that
those who were stationed for any length of time in one spot, and
lived sedentary lives, suffered more from fever than others who moved
about and had both mind and body occupied; but we could not all go in
the small vessel when she made her trips, during which the change of
place and scenery proved so conducive to health; and some of us were
obliged to remain in charge of the expedition's property, making
occasional branch trips to examine objects of interest in the
vicinity.
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