554 
AFRICA AND ITS EXPLORATION. 
though the soil is of the richest nature. There are 
absolutely no marshes, with their physical discomforts 
and poisonous exhalations breeding disease and death. 
The air is dry and invigorating, and, though the days 
are hot, yet the breezes blow with refreshing coolness, 
and a night of low temperature — and even frequently of 
intense cold — braces one up for the fatigues of the garish 
day. The contrast, indeed, is felt to be just a little too 
great, when you rise, shivering, in the morning, to see 
the grass covered with hoar frost, and then in the after- 
noon find yourself perspiring in the airiest of costumes, 
under a shady bush, with the temperature above 90° 
Falir. The air, however, being so dry, I felt no incon- 
venience from these abrupt changes, and it was simply 
wonderful to see how the men would lie in the open air 
without a shred of clothing, and with the temperature at 
the freezing point. 
At the high altitudes of this plateau region, hail- 
storms of very great violence are of frequent occurrence, 
more particularly in the neighbourhood of the Aberdare 
Mountains. More than once caravans have been over- 
taken by them while on the march, and great numbers 
of the men killed by the exposure ; for the damp cold is 
singularly fatal to the coast natives, who, under its 
influence, drop down paralysed, apparently utterly 
unable to make the slightest exertion to better them- 
selves. On these occasions you may beat them with a 
stick till you are tired, but they will simply put their 
heads between their knees like an obstinate donkey, and 
whine out, “ Si wezi,” “ Si wezi ” (I am not aide). On 
my return march at Mianzi-ni, to the east of Naivasha, 
one of these storms came on, accompanied with thunder 
and lightning of appalling fury and violence. The hail 
fell continuously for hours, and when it ceased the 
country was actually white, and remained so all night. 
If we had been caught out in that storm, without huts, 
I question very much if ten men Avould have survived. 
As it was, so utterly paralysed were they, that even in 
their huts they allowed their fires to go out, and they 
had literally to be compelled to bestir themselves. 
