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wards Dhuboy, twenty miles distant; the day was cloudy: a few 

 showers had cooled the air, and rendered the country delightful. 

 On leaving the river, we passed several large villages, embosomed 

 in groves, and abounding with wells, but found the tanks ex- 

 hausted until we reached Thain-telow; which takes its name from 

 a large reservoir of water, enclosed with a wall of hewn stone and 

 surrounded by a noble flight of steps, the labour and expense of 

 former ages. This village being only six miles from Dhuboy, we 

 pitched our light tents for the night, with the intention of march- 

 ing into Dhuboy the following morning, to take possession of winter 

 quarters. 



The shades of evening approached as we reached the ground, 

 and just as the encampment was completed the atmosphere grew 

 suddenly dark, the heat became oppressive, and an unusual still- 

 ness presaged the immediate setting in of the monsoon. The whole 

 appearance of nature resembled those solemn preludes to earth- 

 quakes and hurricanes in the West Indies, from which the east in 

 general is providentially free. We were allowed very little time 

 for conjecture; in a few minutes the heavy clouds burst over us 



" With the big stores of steaming oceans charg'd ; 



" There thunder held his black tremendous throne; 



" From cloud to cloud the rending lightning rag'd ; 



" Till in the furious elemental war 



" Dissolv'd, the whole precipitated mass 



" Unbroken floods^, and solid torrents pour'd." 



Thomson's high-coloured picture is no exaggerated description 

 of this unexpected tempest. I witnessed seventeen monsoons in 

 India, but this exceeded them all, in it's awful appearance and 



