88 WILD LIFE UNDER THE des WE 
ziyery living thing seemed to know what was com- 
ing: even in the far distance I could hear the roar of the 
gorilla. 
The black spot gradually rose and formed a semicir- 
cle, while now and then the distant sound of thunder 
came upon our ears, warning us of the approaching 
storm. 
At last not a breath of air could be detected, and in 
an instant a white spot rose under the black horizon, 
and instantaneously scattered it into a thousand clouds. 
How wild and lurid the sky suddenly appeared! In 
less than two minutes it was one mass of blackness, the 
clouds fleeing with terrible velocity, driven away by the 
white spot, which now increased to huge dimensions. 
The tops of the trees began to sway rapidly, and before 
we knew it the fearful wind was upon us. Our little 
houses were unroofed, and the wind came with a violence 
that was quite appalling. ‘The limbs of the trees broke 
down first, then the trees themselves, and as they fell 
each brought down half a dozen others with it, which in 
falling occasioned a booming sound that resounded from 
hill to hill. The monkeys became frightened, and their 
wild chattering indicated that they were filled with ter- 
ror. It was indeed a wild and terrible spectacle. 
Flashes of lightning were followed by terrific claps 
of thunder. The first clap brought me upon my feet, for 
I thought the lightning must have struck some of us. 
_I was almost blinded by the flash. What a terrific re- 
port followed! It came on sudden and sharp like the 
firing of a cannon, and made my ears ring and ring till I 
thought I should be deafened. 
This was followed by other terrific claps of thunder 
