CHAPTER XI. 
A TORNADO.—BEFORE THE* STORM.—THUNDER AND LIGHT- 
NING.—AFTER THE STORM. 
WE had just returned to our camp in the forest. 
The day was intensely warm; the rays of the sun pour- 
ed down upon mother-earth with fearful force; in the 
forest all was silent as death, for Nature herself seemed 
prostrated. 
We were in the season of the tornadoes—the latter 
part of the month of March. 
The light air that we had, had ceased. The horizon 
toward the north-east grew black; at first a black spot 
had appeared only a little above the horizon, then grad- 
ually rose higher and higher. The sight of this token 
inspired awe. The wind was blowing from the opposite 
direction. The white and fleecy clouds that were hang- 
ing in the atmosphere as they came near the black 
spot gradually stopped, and were slowly absorbed into 
black cloud. 
I looked anxiously on. Toa stranger the appearance 
of the sky showed that a fearful storm was coming. 
The birds began to fly in the air in a frightened man- 
ner; my goats began to seek for shelter; the hens hid 
in the huts; the dogs also sought shaleene and the peo- 
ple were returning in hot haste from the plantations. 
