X.

X.Thus, greatly to our ease of mind,Our foreign foes we left behind;But dangers even greaterWere menacing our path instead.In every book I ever readOf travels on the Equator,A plague, mysterious and dread,Imperils the narrator;He always very nearly dies,But doesn’t, which is calm and wise.Said Sin, the indolent and vague,“D’you think that we shall get the plague?”It followed tragically soon;In fording an immense lagoon,We let our feet get damp.Next morning I began to sneeze,The awful enemy, Disease,Had fallen on the camp!With Blood the malady would take,An allotropic formOf intermittent stomach ache,While Sin grew over warm;Complained of weakness in the knees,An inability to think,A strong desire to dose and drink,And lie upon his back.For many a long delirious day,Each in his individual way,Succumbed to the attack.Illustration: Sin and Blood lounging under a tree being waited upon by two Africans.

Thus, greatly to our ease of mind,Our foreign foes we left behind;But dangers even greaterWere menacing our path instead.In every book I ever readOf travels on the Equator,A plague, mysterious and dread,Imperils the narrator;He always very nearly dies,But doesn’t, which is calm and wise.Said Sin, the indolent and vague,“D’you think that we shall get the plague?”It followed tragically soon;In fording an immense lagoon,We let our feet get damp.Next morning I began to sneeze,The awful enemy, Disease,Had fallen on the camp!With Blood the malady would take,An allotropic formOf intermittent stomach ache,While Sin grew over warm;Complained of weakness in the knees,An inability to think,A strong desire to dose and drink,And lie upon his back.For many a long delirious day,Each in his individual way,Succumbed to the attack.

Thus, greatly to our ease of mind,Our foreign foes we left behind;But dangers even greaterWere menacing our path instead.In every book I ever readOf travels on the Equator,A plague, mysterious and dread,Imperils the narrator;He always very nearly dies,But doesn’t, which is calm and wise.Said Sin, the indolent and vague,“D’you think that we shall get the plague?”It followed tragically soon;In fording an immense lagoon,We let our feet get damp.Next morning I began to sneeze,The awful enemy, Disease,Had fallen on the camp!With Blood the malady would take,An allotropic formOf intermittent stomach ache,While Sin grew over warm;Complained of weakness in the knees,An inability to think,A strong desire to dose and drink,And lie upon his back.For many a long delirious day,Each in his individual way,Succumbed to the attack.

Thus, greatly to our ease of mind,

Our foreign foes we left behind;

But dangers even greater

Were menacing our path instead.

In every book I ever read

Of travels on the Equator,

A plague, mysterious and dread,

Imperils the narrator;

He always very nearly dies,

But doesn’t, which is calm and wise.

Said Sin, the indolent and vague,

“D’you think that we shall get the plague?”

It followed tragically soon;

In fording an immense lagoon,

We let our feet get damp.

Next morning I began to sneeze,

The awful enemy, Disease,

Had fallen on the camp!

With Blood the malady would take,

An allotropic form

Of intermittent stomach ache,

While Sin grew over warm;

Complained of weakness in the knees,

An inability to think,

A strong desire to dose and drink,

And lie upon his back.

For many a long delirious day,

Each in his individual way,

Succumbed to the attack.

Illustration: Sin and Blood lounging under a tree being waited upon by two Africans.


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