A HAILSTORM. 63 



displeasing to him, it should in no way affect our personal 

 relations ! 



In a long and very interesting visit which I paid to Kabrega 

 on the 5 th of October, I received a detailed account of all the 

 events that happened during Baker's visit, a curiously different 

 account from that given in " Ismailia." The conversation 

 turned upon a hundred various topics. As the sky was again 

 overclouded, I withdrew atter four hours' chat, and had hardly 

 time to reach home before the storm broke over us. Although 

 I suffered considerably during my fourteen days residence here 

 on account of the torrents of rain which fell three or four times 

 daily — which state of things, according to the report of the in- 

 habitants, will last till November — I have never in all my life 

 experienced such an uproar as this storm. A deep darkness 

 enveloped the land, now and then streaked by blue lightning, 

 and, whipped by the raging south-east wind, hail and rain came 

 beating down, the hailstones being as large as horse-beans. 

 After continuing for half an hour, the hail gave place to a true 

 deluge of rain, and until late in the night it still continued 

 raining steadily. During the hailstorm (5.45 P.M.) the ther- 

 mometer registered 64.4° Fahr. ; the aneroid 25.65 in. At 

 seven o'clock in the evening the thermometer stood at 66.2° 

 Fahr. ; the aneroid at 2 5.70 in. All our huts were full of water, 

 and the next two days were occupied in repairing them. 



I received visits daily from Kabrega's chiefs, amongst whom 

 Katagrua and Melindua were two really pleasant, sensible men. 

 As regards the former, I have pleasure in being able to con- 

 firm what Baker said of him, namely, that he was the only 

 gentleman at Kabrega's court ; not once did he request a 

 single thing from me, and he received with signs of the greatest 

 gratitude the little presents I was able to make him. I am 

 indebted to both these men for much valuable information 

 concerning the life and customs of Unyoro. 



On the 30th of September I was just preparing to utilise a 

 pause in the rain by taking a walk, when I was called to Ka- 

 brega; whom I found sitting on his divan enveloped in a bark- 

 cloth of beautiful pattern. People from Karagwa had arrived, 

 bringing with them arms and ammunition, to be exchanged for 

 ivory and slaves, and Kabrega wished to show his white guest 



