258 AFRICAN CAMP FIRES. 



revealed the thorns and stumbling blocks; the 

 buoyant cheerfulness of the first part of the day, 

 with the grouse rocketing straight up out of the 

 elephant-grass, the birds singing everywhere, and 

 the beasts of the jungle still a-graze at the edges ; 

 the growing weight of the sun, as though a great 

 pressing hand were laid upon the shoulders ; the 

 suffocating, gasping heat of afternoon, and the 

 gathering piling black and white clouds ; the 

 cool evening in pyjamas with the fireflies flickering 

 among the bushes, the river singing, and little 

 breezes wandering like pattering raindrops in 

 the dry palm leaves all these, by repetition of 

 main elements, blend in my memory to form a 

 single image. To be sure each day the rock 

 pinnacles over the way changed slightly their 

 compass bearings, and little variations of contour 

 lent variety to the procession of days. But in 

 essentials they were of one kin. 



But here and there certain individual scenes 

 and incidents stand out clearly and alone. With- 

 out reference to my notebook I could not 

 tell you their chronological order, nor the days 

 of their happening. They occurred, without 

 correlation. 



Thus one afternoon at the loafing hour, when 



