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Two days afterwards the atmosphere became very 
dull, and covered with clouds; we had thunder-storms 
and high winds, accompanied with rain. 
I was told that such storms and rain are never to be 
seen here in this season, and that they never begin be- 
fore the month of October. 
The middle of August produced some jujubes, and 
at the end of it the quinces begin to ripen; at this time 
the pomegranates begin to grow, and towards the mid- 
dle of September they are gathered. 
In the middle of October some dates began to appear. 
They gather their harvest in the month of November. 
In the latter part of November the olives ripen. At 
the middle of November the leaves begin to drop, but 
so slow, that at the end of the month not one third part 
of them had fallen off, this year. 
At the same period I had in my garden all kind of 
greens and vegetables, radish, onions, garlic, lettuce, 
beans, cabbage, parsnip, &c. Barley stood about eight 
inches high. 
After these gusts of wind, which took place in the 
month of August, the weather became fine again and 
settled; now and then only we had a little rain, but not 
enough, for at the end of November the ground was so 
very dry that it was impossible to sow on the ploughed 
lands; this irregularity was perhaps the cause of the 
leaves dropping so late. This want of rain has done 
great mischief in the province of Duquela, which is the 
principal granary of the country. 
It is said, that at the end of the month of August the 
storks commonly migrate for Soudan. I had three of 
them in my summer garden, with their wings cut; they 
were very quiet and tame. They always followed me 
