The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-09
heard of the matachlno? Wen, TN tell yol
about It,"
At Beirn.

NA-N
about It,"
At Beirn.
But the captain never did. The row,
black coast of Mozambique was sighted
at that moment and the best of navigation
had 10 be used IN entering the shallow
bay into which emptles the Pungwee river
at Beira So the skipper hurried to the
bridge and left us wondering what the
matachiuo could be.
we found out later on and so did others,
some 10 their horror. In fact, the mata-
chino got chummy with the passengers
from the general Immediately upon their
landing.
Not even the huge scorpions and deadly
spiders which infest East Africa along the
mozambique coast are dreaded so much
as this insect which resembles In some
ways, the American tick.
The matachlno, however, s much more
serious proposition. 1t lives i'm the sand
and is so small that 1t is difficult to see
with the naked eye. In twinlxling II fas-
tens 10 ones foot, bores beneath the SKIN
and hides itself.
There is an itching feeling, but with
the other sensations of this sort i'm hot
climate one Is likely 10 overlook the mata-
chino bite. In 90 hours this insect has de-
posted eggs which hatch almost imme-
diately. You then have several hundred ma
tachinos IN your ankle or foot and you are
dent win calmly tell you.
The streets of Belra are of sand, into
which your feet sink up to the ankle.
Though four big steamship lines do ousi-
ness there, not horse or OK can be seen.
Neither would be of service in such roads.
All traffic is done with little trucks run
on narrow gauge tracks ana pusned ny
native Africans.
Every one, therefore, must wade through
this sand, fine ladies' with pretty hose
and Partisan boots just as well as a naked
Zulu, whose feet are often so calous as
to phase the most vicious matachino
Hundreds Of persons land at l}clra
weekly from England France, Germany
America South Africa and the east. II
is to-day the widest and strangest town
in Africa 1t Is the outlet and inlet 10
Newfoundland and lower Central Africa
The most refined people knock elbows
there with the most lawless, ana all
knuckle under to that dreadful insect
the matochino for If not removed quick
ly II means the loss of a foot. The choice
spot for them TO settle is on the ankle,
where the boot fits tightly and the only
Way to remove the insect Is to @ut OUT
the surrounding flesh with sharp knife.
At the Beach Hotel.
one of the first things I noticed on
being put ashore on the barren sandy
beach was the number Of negroes VINO
had one or more toes missing. Fat OH
bv a matochino," was the terse answer
given by Mr. Jack Weldon, a hustling
Canadian who was on the look out for
guests at the Beach Hotel, which he rep
! resented
"Dontbe alarmed though" he added.
| 'fWe"u take good care Of you at the hotel
The next morning he came into my
| room about o'clock and observed care
| lessly: you'd better 80 down and take
YOU shower now, so Christmas can look
| al YOU feet These darn bugs seem 70
| get next 20 a stranger every time"
| on emerging TO the piazza / found IL
! lined with a number Of guests, clothed
| in patamas. Some of the men were tilted
| back against the wal on their chairs
| smoking and chatting. Others were look
| ing serious and watching the operations
| of u native boy known as Merry Christ
mas, who was examining the foot of q
very pretty Parisienne, the wife of a
| French mining engineer, who had come
out 10 examine the Mashonaland gold dig
gings for a European syndicate Having
a very pretty foot and ankle the patient
| seemed to enjoy the process as much az