142 Of Traversing Thunder 'Clouds. 



were ever and anoa illuminated with brilliant flashes of light- 

 ning, followed with loud peals of thuhder. My companions, as 

 well as I, wished to return ; but our conductor was of a diffe- 

 rent mind, and proceeded boldly forward to meet the storm. As 

 we were very much alarmed, we shut our eyes that we might not 

 see the lightning, and closed our ears that we might not hear the 

 thunder. We had continued in this state for about a quarter of 

 an hour, when the coachman informed us, to our unspeakable 

 gratification, that all danger was passed. The cloud, in truth, 

 was now under us; where it still continued to thunder and light- 

 en, but without disturbing our equanimity, for we were now 

 enjoying a pure sky, and a beautiful sun. 



During their excursions in the Pyrenees, Captains Peytier 

 and Hossard^ of whom we have already had occasion to make 

 honourable mention in another part of this essay, found them- 

 eelves on several occasions, involved in the heart of clouds in which 

 thunder-storms were raging. This was the case at the summit of 

 the Peak d'Anie, 8215 feet high, on the 15th of June 1825 ; and 

 also on the 20th, the 24th, and 25th of July 1827. The storm 

 of the 15th of June lasted for six hours. The hair of the ob- 

 servers, and the strings of their caps, all stood on end, and they 

 also heard a buzzing noise around the salient parts of their 

 bodies. 



They were similarly exposed at the top of peak Lestibete, at 

 an elevation of 6007 feet, on the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 13th of 

 July 1826. During the storm of the 13th, great hailstones fell 

 of about an inch in diameter. 



Again, upon the mountain of Trournouse, at an elevation of 

 10,124 feet, they were exposed to storms on the 9th and the 

 ] 3th of August 1826. The storm of the 9th lasted for twenty- 

 four hours, during which it both hailed and rained much, and 

 the thunder-claps were exceedingly frequent. The tent, in 

 spite of three folds of very thick cloth, placed one over an- 

 other, sometimes appeared as all on fire. The loaded guns of 

 M. Hossard, left for precaution's sake on the outside of the 

 tent, exhibited next day many traces of evident fusion at the 

 end of the barreL This storm appeared so violent in the val- 

 ley, that the inhabitants of Heas never hoped more to see either 

 the two officers or their guides. 



Pinally, they were in the midst of thunder-storms on the peak 



