ATHOSrilEIlOLO/GY. — WINDS. 409 



tention ; and, wlien it reached the place where he 

 was seated, in a calm air, a torrent of wind assailed 

 him with such violence, that he was obliged to throw 

 himself on his body, and stick his hands and feet in 

 the snow, to prevent himself from being hurled over 

 the tremendous slope which threatened his instant 

 destruction. The cloud having passed, the air, to 

 his great satisfaction, again became calm, when he 

 immediately descended, by sliding down the sur- 

 face of snow, and in a few minutes reached the base 

 of the mountain in safety. 



The course of the seasons, as relates to prevailing 

 winds, is as follows. In the spring, N., N. E. and E. 

 winds are frequent, with severe storms from these 

 and other quarters. The storms from the N. E., 

 E. and S. E. are generally the most violent. When 

 they occur in March and April, they frequently 

 continue without intermission for two or three suc- 

 cessive days, and rarely subside until the wind veers 

 round to the N. or N. W. Storms, in the spring 

 of the year, blowing from the S. E., generally change, 

 before they abate, to the E., N. E, N. and N. W. ; 

 but storms commencing at S. W. or S. usually veer 

 before they subside, in the contrary direction to- 

 wards the N. W., and sometimes continue changing 

 imtil their strength is spent in the N. or N. E. 

 quarter. A stonn beginning to blow from the 

 western quarter, seldom continues long; when it 



