58 
Geography of the Gaboon. 
the “middle” or long dries, which last four months 
to September. The “ Enomo ” is the Angolan 
Cacimbo, meaning cool and cloudy weather, when 
no umbrella is required, and when the invariably 
grey sky rarely rains. Travellers are told that 
June and July are the cream of the year, the 
healthiest time for seasoned Europeans, and this 
phantom of a winter renders the climate more sup¬ 
portable to the northern constitution. 
During the “ middle dries,” when the sun, retiring 
to the summer solstice, is most distant, land winds 
and sea breezes are strong and regular, and the 
people suffer severely from cold. In the Gaboon 
heavy showers sometimes fall, July being the 
least subject to them, and the fiery sun, when it 
can disperse the clouds, turns the soil to dust. 
At the end of September appear the “latter rains,” 
which are the more copious, as they seldom last 
more than six hours at a time. It is erroneous to 
assert that “ the tract nearest the equator on both 
sides has the longest rainy season; ” the mea¬ 
sure chiefly depends upon altitude and other local 
conditions. 
The rainy seasons are healthier for the natives 
than the cold seasons; and the explorer is often 
urged to take advantage of them. He must, 
however, consult local experience. Whilst ascend¬ 
ing rivers in November, for instance, he may find 
the many feet of flood a boon or a bane, and his 
