William Clark, in writing his journals
as the Corps of Discovery explored the West along the wending course of the Missouri
River, came up with at least nineteen variations for the spelling of “mosquito.”
My favorite: mesquestors.
Members of the Lewis Clark Expedition
wrote extensively about how mosquitoes harassed them. Some historians have suggested chronic malaria,
a disease vectored by the little pests, may have been part of what led to
Captain Meriwether Lewis’s death—a suspected suicide—in 1809.
Here is the thing. I totally understand how the Corps of
Discovery felt about mesquestors. A swarm of one invaded my house last night
and I have been slapping myself silly trying to stop its relentless attacks on
me ever since.
The little bugger almost continuously zizzes around my ears. I don’t know how many times the mosqueetoe has attempted to drill into my
forearms, legs, and cheek. At present, I
am sitting in front of a fan, which produces a wall of air currents the insect
cannot penetrate.
My plan is simply to outlast the
little bastard. As soon as that girl
gets up and gets dressed for the day, I plan on running out to the car and
driving away.
--Mitchell Hegman
No comments:
Post a Comment