ADVENTURES BY THE WAY 



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 after- 

 noon, and the gathering piling black and white 

 clouds; the cool evening in pajamas 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 essential they were of one kin. 



But here and there certain individual scenes and 

 incidents stand out clearly and alone. Without 

 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 F. 

 was sound asleep under his mosquito bar, and I 

 in my canvas chair was trying to catch the breeze 

 from an approaching deluge, to me came a total 

 stranger in a large turban. He was without arms 

 or baggage of any sort, an alien in a strange and 

 savage country. 



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