The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-15
AFTER SUNSET IN AFRICA.
uncanny Sounds and scenes in the
W.rId's Darkest Region.
Grom &c ChIcago TImes- IieTl.d.l


| Willoughby who made several visits to
! South Africa sixty-Odd years ago. in enc
of his stories graphically describes the ap-
| pallng savagery and beauty OF an African
/ night.
The temperature of the day had been
| 100. The small water courses were dry.
| \ heavy sometimes yellow and some
times grey dust, rose from the plain and.
| The grasses were parched and turned TO
| powder when trod upon. No cooling winds
came from off the Drakensburg rang e.
The flowers that in moist weather seemed
| to set the land afame hung their he ads
and closed their petals. The wild beasts
| either hid in their lairs or buried them
selves in infrequent mud waliows. Tae
call OF d bird might be occasionally heard,
but 1t was a cry for water
Cattle stumbled over the indi tinct
trails with distended tongues and blood
shot eyes. The unacClimated horse felt
the beat of hot air on his nCstrils and re-
fused to move. He lay down in his tracks
and yultures circled about him. Here
and there in hOllows or by the grasses
we're the bones OF adventures or Beer
pioneers picked clean by the birds. A
deadly calm rested upon everything and
noise would have been a relief. This was
the day when it was hoped night would
end with blessed coolness and sleep.
The night came. The sun went out of
sight like a ball of fire. The stars came
out. but their light blurred. The phenom-
email atmospheric clearness of the day was
gone \ veil seemed to have been stretch
ed between the heavens and the watching
men on earth The first sensation felt b. the
travellers was that of an Understandable chill
The skin became clammy. the blood. which
had been thick enough. thickeued more
and the parched lips grew dryer. Strange
aches attacked the joints and a stiffness
settled upon the limbs From the sky came
something that seemed like heavy dew. 1t
WAS cold and penetrating. going to the very
ytals OF those who were seeking sleep. The
clothing was speedily saturated and the
wearers advanced to a greater stage of
misery than they had been in before. The
moon rose like a great white wrath born
from a sea OF spooks. Her face was watery.
her outlines indistinct Her illumination
was but a faint imitation of her brilliancy
in Northern climes. There was silence for
a long time-until after o'clock. camp
fire had been started. but it burned feebly.
The air was surcharged with the germs OF
fever and chills. Moistness was upon ey
crything.
Suddenly from far away in the distance
came the uncsnny cry of a night bird. This
was taken up by a responding cry. and
then the beasts starting upon their noe
turnal prowls, Joined in. There was
screech aud boot and howl until bedlam
seemed to have settled upon that very
spot The mists grew heavier. The grasses
so recently dry were now running with
sticky, poisonous water. This dripped, too,
from the trees and ran down the trunks
in little rivulets. One could put his fin
ger upOn the hides of the tame animals
and gather up the moisture as If it were a
cream. 1t came upon the lips with unpleas-
ant odor and foul taste. When it reached
the throat that contracted as it does when
diphtheria is prevalent. The hands swelled
and became sore.
By 8 O'Clock in the morning the tenn
perature was 40 above, a drop of 60 de-
grees in nine hours. The vapors were now
so thick that a knife could almost have
been used upon them. The travellers were
reekiug with wetness, while the cattle
moaned uneasily and constantly moved IN
the effort to get warmth. The cries of the
night animals grew more noisy. for they
were on the last hunt for prey before the
dawn. This dawn came in its own good time
with wonderful fushings of the east, mass
upon mass of marvellous color, one short
thrush of a strong clearing wind which
swept the mists away, and then, beheld
the sun The same sun that had disap
aeored twelve hours before. A blazing,
scorching sun. Up went the temperature
to 20 so. 80. 100 degrees. On came the
day, with stirling heat, and the dust that
rose In clouds and fell upon everything. In
what seemed the twinkling of an eye the
excessive moistlre of the night was gone
and the earth barred its bosom for new
torture.