£74* DISCOVERIES OF THE FRENCH. 
made the diameter nearly twenty-two. From 
this trunk, several branches extended horizon- 
tally, till the extremities touched the ground; 
and each of these branches being equal to one of 
our largest trees, the whole calabash composed a 
species of forest within itself. He afterwards saw 
a calabash of seventy-four feet, and another of se- 
venty-seven feet in circumference, so that it is un- 
doubtedly by much the largest tree in the world. 
About this time the rainy season came on^ 
and our author had an opportunity, for the first 
time, of viewing its stupendous action in a topi- 
cal climate. He was at some distance in the 
fields when the storm began. The attendant ne- 
groes, on perceiving it, instantly threw off their 
clothes, and plunged into the nearest river ; con- 
ceiving it more eligible to be bathed in its waters, 
than in those which streamed from above. This 
plan not according with our traveller's ideas of 
comfort, he ran under cover of a neighbouring ca- 
labash tree. The rain poured down, as if heaven 
and earth were mingling together ; but for some 
minutes he remained as completely sheltered as 
if he had been under a house. Soon, however, 
the leaves being soaked, the openings in the bran- 
ches became the beds of so many torrents, which 
discharged themselves upon him, and he was 
forced to fly for refuge into the open fields. 
The rains having quickly caused the Senegal 
