CHAPTER II. 
THE LELIA. 
Had it been possible to quench our spirit of 
adventure, surely the rain would have done it. 
Hour after hour it poured without ceasing; 
and our railway carriage stood forlornly in a 
siding, with the water spouting from its roof. 
Disconsolate figures, huddled in wet cloaks, 
splashed past occasionally, on bare brown legs. 
The red earth grew more and more porridge¬ 
like in consistency; the station yard more and 
more like a lake. And still it poured. But 
the little motor launch Lelia was to be ready 
some time during the day, and we longed to 
board her, and feel we were really off. We were 
told we should be miserably uncomfortable, our 
quarters would be cramped, the rain might go 
on for weeks, our crew would give us trouble. 
But we paid heed to none of these things. 
At last, at five o’clock in the evening, it 
still raining hard, the launch was sighted 
coming round the point. And, in the pouring 
rain, we got our baggage across to her, slither¬ 
ing and slipping on the wet gangway. 
