STORMS. — LIGHTNING. — "RAIN. tSi considered in a more friendly country ; for the guards round the camp are much weaker than in Arronga, and are only posted of an evening, and then round the large fires constantly kept up to scate away the wild beasts. In other ways we are not particularly well off. Saving hares and gazelles, the first costing one, and the second, if any size, three or four piastres, there is no good' fbod to be got. A most fearful evil is the bad, stinking water, and worse than all the rest, the dreadful heat. Our tent is of thick, double canvas, and yet the sunbeams pierce so glowingly through it, that we are forced to lay coverlets and such like things' over the side the sun strikes on, to try and thus get some relief.

Tents that have been painted over with some colouring are much cooler, from having their pores thus filled, than those of white linen or canvas. We have been more than once favoured, during tlie night, by storms, with licavy rain, Avhich soaked us well ; nor were we altogether free from alarm at the constant lightning and thunder, as our tent was pitched under the highest tree here-" about, and at a distance from tlie others. The severest storm we experienced in Africa Avas in Chartum, on the 31st August, 1839, during which many houses were destroyed by the Avind and rain, and eleven vessels* foundered in the White Nile. The masses of Avater poured down from heaven' Avere such, that for moi'e than a AAcek afterwards the sun liad not dried up the puddles in the narroAv streets. We were at the time on our return from the batli Ave liad been taking in the Nile, and' counted flashes of lightning in eleven dirterent points of the horizon round us; there Avas, too, such a brilliant clearness spread abouton all sides, that, althougli it Avas otherAvise very dark, one could see to read quite plainly. In four points the lightning Avas so' violent, that it no longer seemed zigzag flashes, but like streaked colunnis of fire, ascending from earth to sky,— a splendidly l)eantiful sight ! In our house every room Avas full of water ; in the court Ave had to wade through streams up to our knees, in passing through it to examine our store-house ; and this set in order, Ave had nothing for it, to keep off the ill effects, but to sit on our table and drink hot punch. The next house to us was a j)OAvder' magazine, and Ave still look on it as good fortune Ave AA-ere not