Through the sheets of rain we could dimly see the cavalry horses
standing knee-deep in water, men looking out of the covered wagons,
into which they had crawled for shelter, or standing, like ourselves,
on the bowlders, their bodies covered with ponchos and gum blankets.
Wall-tents, the sides of which had been looped up when pitched, stood
with the flood flowing through them; cranes, upon which hung lines of
kettles in preparation for dinner, standing alone, their fires and
firewood swept away. The whole country as far as we could see was one
broad sheet of rushing water, and the river, which was little more
than a rill when we crossed it a few hours before, now rolled and
boomed, a torrent several fathoms deep and dirtier than ever.
The storm continued little over half an hour, and with the return of
sunlight the surface water rapidly disappeared. Demoralized tents were
then set up, baggage and bedding examined, and the wet articles
exposed to the sun; and before night, except for the booming of the
river, little remained to remind us that we had been through a storm.
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