Climate and Weather in Mashonaland. 301 



loaded with thunder clouds. The flashes of light- 

 ning were scarcely even intermittent, so numerous, 

 constant, and dazzling were they, and the thunder 

 at times appalling. Fortunately for us, the place 

 of our encampment was not within the radius of 

 the storm. I found the climate and weather of 

 Mashonaland from the middle of July to the middle 

 of September to be almost perfect. Two or three 

 rainy days were experienced in August, but as a 

 rule the weather resembled fine, warm summer 

 weather in England. The nights were^cool and 

 refreshing, the morning and evening air delightful. 

 After the middle of September the midday heat 

 became oppressive and sultry. I'he thermometer 

 would mark from eighty-five to ninety degrees in 

 the shade. Every afternoon clouds would gradu- 

 ally cover the sky, and somewhere or other in your 

 neighbourhood, if not actually over you, a heavy 

 thunderstorm would come down. These thunder- 

 storms are disagreeable and even alarming. One 

 of them came over the plain of Fort Victoria on 

 the evening of our arrival. Accompanied by but 

 slight rain, the lightning effects were awful. It 

 lasted the best part of four hours, and was followed 

 by two days of raw damp wind and mist. Camj) 

 life under such circumstances is far from pleasant. 

 The regular rainy season of Mashonaland does not 

 usually commence till January, but a sort of fore- 

 taste of the regular rains is generally experienced 

 for two or three weeks at this time of year, after 

 which the weather settles again for a time. 

 Travellers going south now become anxious as to 



