A JUNGLE-FIRE 203 



man whose sole article of attire (if it could be so called) 

 was a parasol. They halted just beyond us, and, after 

 putting on some clothes, came and had a long gossip. 



The valley of the river was more confined here. 

 The red - coloured cliffs were 600 to 800 yards apart 

 and 30 feet high. Immediately below them lay some 

 1 50 yards of steep, rock-strewn ground, thinly clothed 

 with sun-baked jungle, then a slope of 30 yards, bordered 

 by fair- sized trees. A drop of 10 yards on one side 

 brought us to the water's edge, while on the opposite 

 bank a sloping stretch of shingle 40 yards wide separ- 

 ated the trees from the river. The water averaged 6 feet 

 deep or a little more, and 50 yards in breadth. The 

 lower line of rocks was brown, and the shingle com- 

 posed of large brown and white stones. Having learned 

 from our friends with the cow that we had overshot 

 our path, we turned back and then climbed up the steep 

 side of the valley. Although the path was shaded, the 

 heat was oppressive and the rocks too hot to touch. At 

 the top we passed along a narrow path through dense 

 jungle, and then up another slope. Haifa mile to our 

 left, fanned by the breeze which blew towards us, was 

 a great belt of flame, extendincr from the edo-e of the 

 cliff above the river to the top of the second slope. /\s 

 evening^ came on, this iunMe fire was a strand si^ht — 



CJ 'Jo o c> 



the flames, as they seized on some dry patch of under- 

 wood, shooting up in masses with a triumphant roar, 

 while every now and then, as a larger tree fell, a shower 

 of sparks would be thrown in the air and blown towards 

 us. At one time it seemed doubtful if we should out- 

 flank it, before it overtook us. Our way lay over rocky 



