92 WILD LIFE UNDER THE EQUATOR. 
At last, after a few hours, the claps of thunder became F 
less terrible, and there were greater intervals between — 
the flashes of lightning, which began to diminish in | 
brightness. Gradually the storm ceased, the clouds dis- a 
appeared, and the bluest of skies was disclosed overhead. 
What a deep blue it was; how beautiful, hew lovely, 
how pure, and how serene! . 
O God, how great thou art! I said to myself. What 
is man that thou lookest down upon him? He isa creat- 
ure of thy hands. 
The stars shone with all their brightness. At that 
time of the year the southern heaven was in its full 
beauty. All the constellations of the Southern Hemi- 
sphere were in view, and the whole sky seemed to be in 
a perfect blaze of light. How beautiful and resplendent 
the Milky Way looked! Being not far from the equa- 
tor, I could see also many of the northern constellations. 
The constellation of the Great Bear was in full sight, 
and reminded me of my northern home, of dear friends, 
of joys that have gone, of friendships which distance 
could not kill, of boys and girls I knew, dnd I wonder- 
ed if sometimes they thought of me as I thought of 
them. | | 
I was wet through; for our fires had been extinguish- 
ed and we had the greatest trouble to light them again; 
and during the night nothing was heard but the mourn- 
ful cries of the owl and now and then the disagreeable 
howl of the hyena. 
