170 



UNHEALTHY TIMES. 



N. E. trade again blows. The sun is distant, the 

 thermometer does not range high, yet the tem- 

 perature of houses sheltered from the breeze 

 becomes overpowering, and without the c doctor ' 

 the city would hardly be habitable. At times 

 the Trade freshens to a gale that blows through 

 the day. The Hindus suffer severely from this 

 c Baora' (blast), and declare that it brings on 

 fits of 'Mridi' (refroidissement), here held dan- 

 gerous. During the whole of the Azyab mon- 

 soon the people prefer hot sun and a clear, which 

 is always a slightly hazy-blue, sky. They dis- 

 like the clouds and heavy showers called Mvua 1 

 ya ku pandia, or harvest rains, which are brought 

 up at times by the N. N. "West wind. On the 

 other hand, when the Kausi or S. West monsoon 

 blows, they hold an overcast sky the best for 

 health, and they dread greatly the c rain-sun.' 

 The peasants take advantage of the dryness, and 

 prepare, by burning, the land for maize, sesa- 

 mum, and rice. 



The Wasawahili, like the Somal and many 

 other races, have attempted to conform the 

 lunar with the solar year, a practice which may 



1 Or Mbua, the B and V being confounded, like E and V. 

 Similarly, in the Prakrit dialects of Indra, vikh becomes bikh 

 (poison). 



