The White Squall | Page 6

grin on his ebony face, fearing
the rain as little as he did the burning rays of the mid-day sun; while I
scurried off to my room upstairs to shift my wringing clothes and put
on another suit of white flannel, which is the ordinary wear of all
sensible people in tropical countries--just as it is becoming the fashion
over here in summer, especially for fellows who go in for cricket and
other athletic games provocative of perspiration.
I had judged well of the climate and been a true weather prophet; for,
albeit I was pretty sharp in dressing, long ere I could get below again
the rain suddenly ceased falling, and, in another moment or so, the sun
was shining down as potently as it had done before the thunder-storm,
from an absolutely cloudless sky, whose burnished blue arc was only
suggestive of heat and glare as usual.
When I stood under the verandah once more, awaiting Jake with the
horses, I noticed that the marble pavement of the terrace in front had
dried up already, while the earth of the flower-beds scarcely looked
damp. As previously, lots of humming-birds, displaying their rainbow
plumage to the best advantage, were flitting here and there between the
shrubs, in pursuit of the myriads of flies and other insects that had
come out for an airing after the shower, some of the tiny feathered
mites poising themselves before some opening bud or blossom, or else
peering into its interior, with their little wings moving at the rate of ten
thousand bird-power per minute and creating a little halo of variegated
light around them.
The industrious ants, too, had reformed their parasol procession, which
the temporary deluge had seriously disorganised; and, but that several
solemn-looking blackbirds, of a larger species than the yellow-billed

variety familiar to us in England, were now hopping about on the lawn
under the orange-trees, digging up worms, and that a stray drop or two
of crystal glittered on the petals of the roses like diamonds, or reflected
the sunshine from the trumpet bells of the lilies, while there was a
greener tint on the vegetation around, one could hardly have imagined
that it had rained at all!
Still, there was a perceptible coolness in the air now noticeable that was
most refreshing after the suffocating heat, which I had found so
oppressive an hour agone; and, this tempered tone of the atmosphere
brought out more vividly the fragrant scent of the frangipanni and
languid perfume of the jessamine, the whole atmosphere without being
redolent of their mingled odours, harmoniously blended together in
sweet unison, like a regular pot-pourri!
The showery avalanche, besides cooling and sweetening the air with
the balmy breath of the flowers which its influence extracted, left also
other evidence of its effect behind. This was especially apparent in the
swelling torrent of muddy water, drained from the slopes of the
mountain-side above the house and now impetuously rushing down an
impromptu gully which the flood had scooped out for itself across the
grounds, following the course of the carriage drive almost up to the
entrance-gate, where the suddenly-created cataract, diverging into a
hollow to the left, made another exit for itself through the cactus hedge
into the cocoa plantation beyond.
Jake was much longer in getting the horses saddled than I had expected;
and I had to shout out for him more than once before he came up to the
steps of the terrace with the especial animals he had charge
of--"Prince," my pony, a skittish little bay from the Spanish main; and
"Dandy," a sturdy dapple-grey Canadian roadster, that in appearance
was quite the reverse of what his name would imply. The old horse,
however, was as sound and steady as a veteran drum-major and
thoroughly reliable; and my father prized him highly, always riding
him from choice and not minding any chaff about his charger's looks.
On advancing to mount Prince, our darkey groom seemed put out about
something, I noticed; but, before I could put any question to him or ask

the reason of his being so tardy in bringing out the horses, he burst out
full of his grievance.
"I tole um so, Mass' Tom, tole um so!" he exclaimed.
"Why, what is the matter?" I inquired, rather surprised.
"Golly, matter 'nuff for dis chile," grumbled Jake.
"You savvy I tell you, Mass' Tom, I'se come back from de hill 'fore
Pomp get him cutlash to cut um guinea-grass, hey?"
"Yes, so you did, Jake," I said sympathisingly, remembering his boast
when setting out.
"I'se right den, massa!"
"Indeed?" I responded.
"Iss, Mass' Tom. Belieb me, dat lazy ole niggah not cut guinea-grass,
not do nuffin'!" said Jake indignantly, thinking and hoping that Pompey
would receive a rating.
"Oh, he caught a 'guana