MR BAIED OX THE AUllORA BOBEALIS. 129 



flickeriug over the whole heavens, then suddenly withdrawn like a veil 

 from off the sky, hut only for a moment, having their places almost 

 immediately supplied hj a fresh host in amazingly rapid motion. 

 When watching these bright visitants in their rapid career over the 

 sky, it was almost impossible not to be convinced that the ear could 

 distinctly trace their quick sound as they passed over. The wind, 

 however, was blowing at the same time in short quick gusts, the sea 

 was to be distinctly heard in the distance, and the hum and noise of the 

 town came also by fits upon the ear, so that it was impossible to ascer- 

 tain, with any 'hing like precision, whether or not the sound was 

 imaginary, or a portion, as it Avere, of some of the various noises I 

 have mentioned. At another time, after these fairy clouds had van- 

 ished, a bright broad arch of light would form over the northern 

 horizon, with thousands and tens of thousands of short rays proceeding 

 out of its upper edge, disappearing after they had shot up a few 

 degrees, in a narrower arch extending over the other, from whose 

 upper edge longer and brighter pencils flashed np to the zenith. After 

 continuing thus for some time, these arches might be seen themselves 

 in rapid motion, moving with all their bright rays issuing from them, 

 .vay to the west ; a host of short coloured rays at times dancing, and 

 iping, and skipping along their edges with fantastic motions, well 

 1 1 serving the name so appropriately applied to them, the Mernj 

 Dancers. Soon after the arches became in motion, they might be 

 observed to be formed altogether almost in the west, but it appeared 

 to me that, though the southern quarter of the sky, at various times 

 during the evening, was more covered with these meteors than I had 

 ever seen before, the arch never moved its western limb farther south- 

 ward than a point or two beyond due west. Once, while watching 

 this arch in motion, it seemed to stop with one of its limbs about due 

 west, while the other continued still to move steadily on from the 

 north, and, as it shortened the distance between the two limbs, and 

 contracted the space contained within the arch, the centre of the arch 

 rose higher up into the sky, and increased apparently in brightness. 

 This almost circidar arch continued visible only for a short time, and 

 was truly beautiful. The arch itself, as I have said, increased in 

 brightness as it rose higher up in the heavens, and continued to shoot 

 out from its upper edge immense cj^uantities of bright rays which con- 

 verged in the zenith, while it appeared to be bounded on the south- 

 west and north-west by immense pyramidal-shaped pillars of living 

 fire, which shot out directly from the horizon, and extended up to the 

 zenith in huge jets of startling brightness, giving to the imaginative 

 mind the idea of watchful sentinels, waving their swords of flame in 

 protection of their weaker and more timid comrades. The meteors 

 continued visible thus, constantly varying in appearance, till a late 

 hoiu' in morning, having been observed still prett}' bright at three 

 o'clock. During the whole time they lasted, they gave out a great 



