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 



