Even Its Skin Was Supposed By
These People To Be Noxious.
Down came the rain; I believe it could not
have rained harder.
Mrs. Baker in the palanquin was fortunately like a
snail in her shell; but I had nothing for protection except an oxhide:
throwing myself upon my angarep I drew it over me. The natives had
already lighted prodigious fires, and all crowded around the blaze; but
what would have been the Great Fire of London in that storm?
In half an hour the fire was out; such a deluge fell that the ravine
that was dry when we first bivouacked, was now an impassable torrent. My
oxhide had become tripe, and my angarep, being covered with a mat, was
some inches deep in water. Throwing away the mat, the pond escaped
through the sieve-like network, but left me drenched. Throughout the
night it poured. We had been wet through every day during the journey
from Latooka, but the nights had been fine; this was superlative misery
to all. At length it ceased - morning dawned; we could not procure fire,
as everything was saturated, and we started on our march through forest
and high reeking grass. By this circuitous route from Latooka we avoided
all difficult passes, as the ground on the west side of the chain of
mountains ascended rapidly but regularly to Obbo. On arrival at my
former hut I found a great change; the grass was at least ten feet high,
and my little camp was concealed in the rank vegetation.
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