100 Bird Hunting on the White Nile. 



compact, well defined, and rounded as any Atlantic 

 breaker, and its colour of a rich deep yellow. Rolling 

 over and over and advancing slowly but certainly, it 

 seemed as though it might sweep everything from the 

 face of the earth. In front all was bright and peaceful, 

 behind all was dark and gloomy. Suddenly we heard 

 the roar of the wind, a few moments more and the wave 

 was on us, its outline faded and we were engulfed in the 

 thick darkness and driving sand. An hour or two after- 

 wards we emerged from the shelter of a rock and made 

 our way to camp, and all that night we slept in a wind 

 that was delightfully cool but heavily charged with sand. 

 Sand-sjDouts, dust devils, or " cock-eyed-bobs " were 

 other forms of sand-storms which caused us much 

 amusement. A little whirlwind suddenly starts in the 

 desert raising a small column of dust. The column 

 whirling spirally upwards rapidly increases both in 

 height and circumference. Then it begins to move along 

 and at length tears madly across the plain as if alive, 

 gathering pace and volume as it goes and whirling 

 aloft every loose thing it encounters. At all hours of 

 the day these spiral columns of sand race over the desert, 

 stopping here and there, then rushing on again. They 

 vary as much in their size as in their direction. Some- 

 times two will meet each other, and if they be well 



