570 EFFECT OF THE RAINS. Chap. XXVIII. 



about Muazi's and that near the ship was very striking. 

 We had come so quickly down, that while on the plateau, in 

 latitude 12° S., the young leaves had in many cases passed 

 from the pink or other colour they have on first coming out 

 to the light fresh green which succeeds it, here, on the 

 borders of 16° S., or from 150 to 180 miles distant, the 

 trees were still bare, the grey colour of the bark pre- 

 dominating over every other hue. The trees in the tropics 

 here have a very well-marked annual rest. On the Eovuma 

 even, which is only about ten degrees from the equator, in 

 September the slopes up from the river some sixty miles 

 inland were of a light ashy-grey colour ; and on ascending 

 them, we found that the majority of the trees were without 

 leaves ; those of the bamboo even lay crisp and crumpled on 

 the ground. As the sun is usually hot by day, even in 

 the winter, this withering process may be owing to the 

 cool nights; Africa differing so much from Central India 

 in the fact that, in Africa, however hot the day may be, the 

 air generally cools down sufficiently by the early morning 

 watches to render a covering or even a blanket agreeable. 



The first fortnight after our return to the ship was em- 

 ployed in the delightful process of resting, to appreciate which 

 a man must have gone through great exertions. In our case 

 the muscles of the limbs were as hard as boards, and not an 

 ounce of fat existed on any part of the body. We now had 

 frequent showers ; but, these being only the earlier rains, the 

 result on the rise of the river was but a few inches. The 

 effect of these rains on the surrounding scenery was beautiful 

 in the extreme. All trace of the dry season was soon 

 obliterated, and hills and mountains from base to summit 

 were covered with a mantle of living green. The sun 

 passed us on his way south without causing a flood, 

 so all our hopes of a release were centred on his 



