CHAP. VII.] 
STORM. 
177 
changed. It was no longer the tropics; the climate 
was that of old England restored to me : the chilled 
air refreshed me, and I felt at home again. “ How de¬ 
lightful ! ” I exclaimed, as I turned round to see how my 
followers were enjoying it. Dear me ! I hardly knew 
my own people. Of all the miserable individuals I ever 
saw, they were superlative—they were not enjoying 
the change of climate in the least;—with heads tucked 
down and streams of water running from their nasal 
extremities, they endeavoured to avoid the storm. 
Perfectly thoughtless of all but self in the extremity 
of their misery, they had neglected the precaution of 
lowering the muzzles of their guns, and my beautiful 
No. 10 rifles were full of water. “Charming day!” I. 
exclaimed to my soaked and shivering followers, who 
looked like kittens in a pond. They muttered some¬ 
thing that might be interpreted “ Whats fun to you is 
death to us.” I comforted them with the assurance 
that this was an English climate on a midsummer day. 
If my clothed Arabs suffered from cold, where was my 
naked guide ? He was the most pitiable object I ever 
saw; with teeth chattering and knees knocking together 
with cold, he crouched under the imaginary shelter of 
a large tamarind tree ; he was no longer the clean black 
that had started as my guide, but the cold and wet 
had turned him grey, and being thin, he looked like an 
exaggerated slate-pencil. 
Not wishing to discourage my men, I unselfishly 
turned back just as I was beginning to enjoy myself, 
and my people regarded me as we do the Polar bear 
at the Zoological Gardens, who begins to feel happy 
on the worst day in our English winter. 
We returned home by a different route, not being 
able to find the path in the trackless state of the 
country during the storm. There were in some places 
unmistakeable evidences of the presence of elephants, 
and I resolved to visit the spot again. I returned to 
the tent at 4 p.m. satisfied that sport was to be had. 
On my arrival at camp I found the natives very 
