BRILLIANT MOONLIGHT. 401 



in India ; nevertheless it does not occasion serious illness, but 

 only a certain feeling of suffering in the early morning and 

 of fatigue by day, " and " the summer, which is less healthy, 

 and of which the heats are excessive, seems less invigorating 

 than the winter."* 



The comparative coldness of the desert nights, of 

 which we have thus far only noticed the disadvantages 

 in order to point out the necessity for travellers to be 

 always provided with a sufficient stock of warm clothing, 

 has on the other hand advantages which must by no 

 means be forgotten. 



When the cold is not extreme, and proper precautions 

 have been taken to guard against its effects, there can 

 be no doubt that it acts as an admirable tonic, and 

 generally secures refreshing sleep after the exhaustion 

 caused by the great heat of the day. The nights are 

 for the most part generally fine and unsurpassed for 

 the delicious purity and perfect transparency of the 

 atmosphere. There is no dew to dampen clothes: one 

 remains therefore perfectly dry, and owing to the total 

 absence of cloud the deep azure of the celestial vault 

 is to be seen spread forth in the serene altitudes, 

 radiant with countless myriads of stars, which here 

 shine with almost phenomenal lustre. Towards the 

 full of the moon also the moonlight is possessed of 

 an extraordinary brilliancy. There is, therefore, when 

 the nature of the ground is favourable, generally 

 but little difficulty in travelling by night, especially 

 when traversing the interminable plains which oc- 

 cupy so large an extent of country in the Desert 

 Zone the Arab guides being adepts in the art 



* Le Desert et Le Soudan, par M. le Comte D'Escayrac de Lauture, 

 Paris, 1853, p. 20. 



VOL. I. 26 



