The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-15
AFTER SUNSET IN AFRICA.
Jncanny sounds and scenes in the
Worlds Darkest Region.


/ Willoughby, who made several visits to
South Africa siXty-odd years aEo. in enc
/ Of his stories graphically describes the ap-
/ palliug savagery and beauty Of an African
night
| The temperature of the day had been
/ 10j. The small water courses were dry.
| 4 heavy sometimes yellow and sOLe-
/ times grey dust, rose from the plain and.
/ The grasses were parched and turned 10
/ powder when trod upon. No cooling wirds
4 came from off the Drskensburg range.
| The flowers that in moist weather seemed
/ to set the land aiame hung their heads
and closed their petals. The wild beasts
! either hid in their lairs or buried them
selves in infrequeny mud waliows. Tee
call Of a bird might be occasionally heard,
but 1t was a cry for water.
Cattle stumbled over the indi tinct
trails With disteuded tongues and blood
shot eyes. The unacclimated horse felt
the beat of hot air on his uCstrils and re-
fused to move. He lay down in his tracks
and yultures circled about him. Here
and there in holoUs or by the grasses
were the bones OF adventures or Beer
pioneers picked clean by the birds. A
deadly calm rested upon everything aud
noise would have been a relief. This was
the day when it was hoped night would
end with blessed GOODNESS 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 Cledrness 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. he
travellers was that Of an indescriDable chill
The kin became clammy the blood which
had been thick enough thckeucd more
and the parched lips grew dryer. Strange
aches attacked the joints and a stiffness
settled upon the limbs From the ky came
something that seemed like heavy dew Ii
was cold and penetrating. going to the very
yitalS of those who were seeking sleep. The
clothing was speedily saturated and the
wearcrs 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 faint imitation Of her brilliancy
in Northern climes. There was silence for
a long time-uuti after . o'clock. \ camp
fire had been started but il 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 unc8nny cry of a night bird. This /
was taken up by a responding cry and /
then the beasts. starting upon their noe
turual prowls, joined in. There was I
scrcech and boot and howl until bedlam /
seemed to have settled upon that very /
spot The msts grew heavier. The grasses |
so recently dry were now running with a |
sticky. poisonous water This drpped, too. |
from the trees and ran down the trunks |
in little riyulets One could put his fin |
cor tru,n hides Of tho r1p,a anime Ie
and gather UP the moisture as if it were a
cream. II came upon the lips with unpleas- |
ant Odor and foul taste. When it reached |
the throat. that contracted as il does when
diphtheria is prevalent. The hands swelled |
and became sore.
By o'clock in the morning the tenn
perature was 45 above. a drop of 80 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 cons tantly 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
lawn This dawn came in its own good time
with wonderful flushings 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-
eeared twelve hours before A blazing,
scorching sun. Up went the temperature
10 10 80 90 100 degrees. On came the
lay, with stirling heat. and the dust that
,ose in clouds and fell upon everything In
what seemed the twinlling Of an eye the
excessive moist-re of the night was gone
md the earth barred its bosom for new
orture. |