March was the dry season in South Sudan. The scorching weather baked the earth of Juba Town (Juba, the capital of South Sudan in the previous life, renamed to distinguish it from Juba Province in the Somalia region).
Juba Town was a small settlement on the west bank of the White Nile River, and currently the most "prosperous" area in South Sudan. It had once been an Ottoman Empire outpost for missionary work and slave hunting. Later, the Ottoman Empire withdrew because of Egypt, that treacherous turncoat, and the place gradually became a native settlement. The natives had barely enjoyed a few good days before the East Africans arrived.
At that moment, Andre, the mayor of Juba Town, hid beneath the shade of a tree and desperately fanned himself, trying to cool down.
Andre said to Levens, Juba Town's Military Commander, "This place isn't even that far from North Great Lakes Province. I never expected the weather to be this hot—it's practically killing people!"
Levens said, "Don't worry. In a little over a month, the rainy season will arrive. It'll cool down then."
Though he said so, Levens knew it was merely a comforting remark. Even during the rainy season, temperatures in South Sudan would not improve much.
Compared with neighboring North Sudan, South Sudan's climate was simply heavenly. Though it bordered the Sahara Desert, more than ninety-five percent of South Sudan's land belonged to humid or semi-humid regions. Yet because of its lower elevation, it was far hotter than the East African Highlands, and much hotter than even East Africa's coast. At its hottest, daytime temperatures often exceeded forty degrees Celsius, and it was a stifling heat—a stark contrast to the dry heat of the Sahara Desert.
Levens continued, "We're lying around here now with hardly any work every