Martin of Nitendi and the River of Dreams

But with the dawn there came disappointment keen and bitter, for in the / night the north-east trade had died away, and now wild, swooping rain / squalls pelted and drenched the island from the westward, following each / other in quick succession, and whipping the smooth water inside the / reef into a blurred and churning sheet of foam, and then roaring away up / through the mountain passes and canyons.

With my gear all ready beside me, I sat on the matted floor of the / hut in which I lived, smoking my pipe and listening to the fury of the / squalls as the force of the wind bent and swayed the thatched roof, and / made the cinnet-tied rafters and girders creak and work to and fro under / the strain. Suddenly the wicker-work door on the lee side was opened, / and Nalik jumped in, dripping with rain, but smiling good-naturedly as / usual.