Thus, there is always an escape open from the wet season at
Newera Ellia by a short walk of three or four miles.
A long line of dark cloud is then seen, terminated by a bright
blue sky. So abrupt is the line and the cessation of the rain
that it is difficult to imagine how the moisture is absorbed.
This sudden termination of the cloud-capped mountain gives rise
to a violent wind in the sunny valleys and bare hills beneath.
The chilled air of Newera Ellia pours down into the sun-warmed
atmosphere below, and creates a gale that sweeps across the
grassy hilltops with great force, giving the sturdy rhododendrons
an inclination to the north-east which clearly marks the
steadiness of the monsoon.
It is not to be supposed, however, that Newera Ellia lies in
unbroken gloom for months together. One month generally brings a
share of uninterrupted bad weather; this is from the middle of
June to the middle of July. This is the commencement of the
south-west monsoon, which usually sets in with great violence.
The remaining portion of what is called the wet season, till the
end of November, is about as uncertain as the climate of England
- some days fine, others wet, and every now and then a week of
rain at one bout.
