could ascend but very little, and even that with
great difficulty.
Just then, dark clouds were seen to gather overhead, and the sky soon became overcast with them. It seemed, as if, the vault of heaven had been enveloped by a black imperforated screen. Darkness of endless volume, growing thicker and thicker every moment, descended from above to the world below, and gradually covered the hills, the road beneath, the distant river, and, in fact, all the surrounding objects of nature. The whole universe, it seemed,was nothing but an endless mass of impenetrable darkness—to Shaibalini it appeared that in this world there was nothing but stones, thorns and darkness. She felt that it was useless to try to ascend higher up, and so she took her seat in a thorny bush, in utter despair. Just then, quick flashes and streaks of lightning were seen to run their serpentine course from one end of the firmament to the other. With them commenced the deafening claps of thunder. It was a horrible sight! Shaibalini could understand that all these were the signs of a severe summer storm which would soon burst forth in that mountainous region. What harm was there in that? Many a tree and
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