In the morning it starts to rain. It was the first rain of the new year and it (1) , in an extremely violent manner, the beginning of the rainy season. The drops which fell were large, and they fell straight down, for (2) tropical rains never (3) into slanting drizzle, the familiar (4) of a rainy day in so many other parts of the world. The rain fell heavily, it fell (5) and it saturated everything which lay (6) its way. During the rain most people (7) their homes. But a few walked about, (8) to the wetness of their clothes and determined to (9) as usual. And, for those who wished to keep dry however much it cost them, there were always (10) taxis. They (11) along the road, with the windscreen wipers revealing only (12) glimpses of the drivers peering faces. (13) , when the rain had started, the drivers had had only the big puddles to miss, but later on, then the drains had overflowed and the whole road swam with water all dangerous pits and (14) had been hidden, and the faces peering (15) the windscreens peered even more anxiously than before. But often the faces inside the taxi ceased to (16) to look out at all, for water had splashed up to the electrical system, and the engine stopped just as surly and abruptly as it would have done, (17) the car actually (18) into out of the drains it had so (19) missed only a few moments (20) .