A HORRIBLE INVASION 153 



endure, so I beat a retreat to the river and 

 waded out until I reached a flat rock. This 

 proved to be uncomfortably hot, but the soles 

 of my boots were thick, and I could every now 

 and then cool them in the water. However, a 

 few yards away lay a small island of sand, and 

 on this I took refuge. From my retreat I 

 could see the fire and its environs. I did not 

 think Africa contained so many tarantulas as 

 were then visible. They had the fire to them- 

 selves, for every member of the party had fled. 

 The air still felt as though one were in a 

 closed room. But the murmur of the river be- 

 came audible to an increasing degree on the 

 western side, and soon a hot breath of air 

 struck us. After a fitful succession of puffs a 

 continuous wind set in, — a steady current, 

 momentarily growing cooler. This was the 

 sea-breeze stealing up the river gorge from the 

 far-off Atlantic, rolling the mass of heated air 

 before it and cooling the piled rocks, — helping 

 them to fling off the yoke of torment put upon 

 them by the cruel, arrogant sun. Soon the 

 temperature began to fall rapidly, so I waded 

 back, made a wide detour so as to avoid the 

 tartantula-infested area, and fetched my 

 kaross from where it lay among the trees. I 

 then returned to my sand-islet and there sank 



