CHAP, m.] FIEST RAIN. 87 



me to read steadily on until the next one. It lightened 

 in three different parts, and we were in the middle. 

 There were some flowers in front of me, and the 

 lightning was so vivid, and its light so pm-e, that I 

 could not only see the flowers, but also their colours. 

 I believe this is a very rare thing with lightning. 

 There were four savages running in a line, about 100 

 yards off, on their way to their huts : after one of the 

 flashes, only tliree remained; the other was struck 

 dead. Mr. Hahn and I picked him up. It is curious 

 how little a negro's features are changed by death ; 

 there is no paleness. His widow howled all night ; 

 and was engaged to be married again the succeeding 

 day. 



The Swakop ran violently after tliis storm, pouring 

 vast volumes of tm-bid and broken water for three days 

 down what had hitherto been an arid sandy channel. 



Mr. Hahn's household was large. There was an 

 interpreter, and a sub -interpreter, and again others ; 

 but all most excellently well-behaved, and showing to 

 great advantage the influence of their master. These 

 servants were chiefly Hottentots, who had migrated 

 with Mr. Hahn from Hottentot-land, and, like him, had 

 picked up the language of the Damaras. The sub- 

 interpreter was married to a charming person, not only 

 a Hottentot in figure, but in that respect a Venus 

 among Hottentots. I was perfectly aghast at her 

 development, and made inquiiies upon that delicate 

 point as far as I dared among my missionary friends. 

 The result is, that I believe Mrs. Petrus to be the lady 

 who ranks second among aU the Hottentots for the 



