98 HAUNTS AND HOBBIES 



though they are the largest by far of the Indian out- 

 of-door rats, by no means equal in size the great farm- 

 yard rats we have here in England, neither do I think 

 that they have the same fierceness of aspect. 



Besides these various out-of-door rats, there are other 

 species that frequent the houses ; but I shall defer my 

 account of them to a later chapter. 



More days have passed, and still the rain keeps off. 

 There are indications, however, that before long it will 

 again commence to fall. These indications as yet have 

 been rather disappointing. The clouds gather ; the 

 sky becomes obscured ; it seems as if every minute 

 the rain was about to descend in torrents ; and then, 

 just when our expectations are at their highest, the 

 clouds rise, separate ; the blue sky again appears ; and 

 we feel that, for another day at least, our hopes must be 

 deferred. But, as a compensation, the aspect of the 

 firmament is always pleasantly varied, and the sunset 

 tints are lovely. 



It was one afternoon, at this time, that I sat on 

 the terrace. Although no rain had fallen here, the 

 appearance of the river showed that a vast amount 

 must have descended higher up the country, and 

 especially on the Himalaya. The whole of the river- 

 bed, which only quite lately had been, as I have 

 described, bare and arid as a desert, was now every- 

 where intersected with running streams. Many of the 

 sand banks were entirely submerged ; while the stream 

 immediately below the terrace, instead of a narrow, 

 half-stagnant line of water, now raced along, in itself a 

 broad, rapid river. 



