Lake Victoria to Khartoum 



thunder, and then, heralded by a blast of wind, 

 bending the trees in its path, the storm bursts 

 right overhead and is upon one. Pouring, drench- 

 ing rain, not falling, but being literally upset in 

 bucketfuls, starts the programme, accompanied 

 by the most vivid fork-lightning I have ever 

 seen, and the banging, crashing, and volleying of 

 the thunder, I remember years ago a thunder- 

 storm at Jena, in Germany, which impressed me 

 as a boy by the way in which it played round 

 the hill-tops overhanging the town, backwards 

 and forwards ; and I have experienced several 

 similar storms in the Himalayas, where the sight 

 was magnificent ; but I have never been so awe- 

 struck in my life as I have by these awful storms 

 which continually hang around the vicinity of 

 Lake Victoria. I saw a tree struck the other 

 day in the forest when I was out in one of these 

 demoniacal performances. The tree was flattened 

 straight out ; and that, combined with the general 

 atmospheric disturbance, made me think a bit ! 



In about twenty minutes it's all over — that is 

 to say, temporarily, as one usually gets a " back 

 kick " of the rain for another half-hour, which, 

 however, is not so bad as that which accompanies 

 the first burst of the storm. Then the sun comes 

 out and all is at peace again, though sopping 

 wet ; and so we go on, the muttered curses 

 gradually subsiding as the sun's rays dry one's 

 sodden clothes. But to-morrow's repetition of 



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