hill at a considerable distance from it, for the express pur-
pose of watching to advantage the extraordinary aspect of
the clouds. When we reached the top of the hill half the
heavens appeared hung with a heavy curtain; a sort of deep
blue black seemed to colour the very air; the buzzards
screamed, as with heavy wing they sought the earth. We
ought, in common prudence, to have immediately retreated
to the house, but the scene was too beautiful to be left. For
several minutes after we reached our station, the air ap-
peared perfectly without movement, no flash broke through
the seven-fold cloud, but a flickering light was visible, dart-
ing to and fro behind it. By degrees the thunder rolled
onward, nearer and nearer, till the inky cloud burst asunder,
and cataracts of light came pouring from behind it. From
that moment there was no interval, no pause, the lightning
did not flash, there were no claps of thunder, but the heav-
ens blazed and bellowed above and round us, till stupor
took the place of terror, and we stood utterly confounded.
But we were speedily aroused, for suddenly, as if from
beneath our feet, a gust arose which threatened to mix all
the elements in one. Torrents of water seemed to bruise
the earth by their violence; eddies of thick dust rose up to
meet them; the fierce fires of heaven only blazed the bright-
er for the falling flood; while the blast almost out-roared
the thunder. But the wind was left at last the lord of all,
for after striking with wild force, now here, now there, and
bringing worlds of clouds together in most hostile contact,
it finished by clearing the wide heavens of all but a few
soft straggling masses, whence sprung a glorious rainbow,
and then retired, leaving the earth to raise her half crushed
forests; and we, poor pigmies, to call back our frighted
senses, and recover breath as we might.

During this gust, it would have been impossible for us
to have kept our feet; we crouched down under the shelter

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