NONSUCH 



to an unusual point of the compass — southeast. 

 Yet the sunrise was fair and as usual as such an 

 ever-new event can be. But all day the wind blew 

 from the new quarter and with ever-increasing ve- 

 locity. By mid-afternoon there arose, beyond the 

 sea, a quarter heaven of sulphur gray clouds which 

 looked too sinister to ignore. As I watched them a 

 hunch came, and this materialized into a suggestion, 

 then into an order, and we towed three of the five 

 boats around to the beach. Here we man-powered 

 them on skids along the sand and up the steep bank 

 among the cedars. 



The wind had increased so that the whole level of 

 the ocean seemed higher, and at mid-tide the crash- 

 ing breakers reached far above high-tide mark. 

 They swirled up our bathing beach, sending angry 

 fists of foam far up among the cedars after the 

 boats as if angry at having lost their small, rightful 

 prey. At Idol Island the waters met from two di- 

 rections and shot up geyser-like high into the air. 

 For the first time since I walked along the great 

 chffs of the Singhaleela Range within sight of 

 Everest I leaned full weight upon the wind. Such a 

 steady, strong current of air swept up Kib Promon- 

 tory that I let my body slant far out against it — 

 not a very sensible thing if a moment's calm should 

 intervene. But none of us was quite sane on this day. 

 The howl of the wind, the roar of the waves, the 

 electricity and ozone in the air excited us beyond 

 normal; no one thought of cocktails at dinner time 

 — Weather took their place. 



166 



