180 LIGHT SCIENCE FOR LEISURE HOURS. 



halo round the sun." On the afternoon of the next 

 day, the barometer had commenced to fall rapidly; 

 and though, as yet, the weather was fine, orders were 

 at once given to prepare for a heavy gale. Toward 

 evening, a bank of cloud was seen in the southeast, 

 but when night closed, the weather was still calm and 

 the water smooth, though the sky looked wild and a 

 scud was coining on from the northeast. " I was 

 much interested," says Captain Hall, " in watching 

 for the commencement of the gale, which I now felt 

 sure was coming. That bank to the southeast was the 

 meteor (cyclone) approaching us, the northeast scud 

 the outer northwest portion of it ; and when at night 

 a strong gale came on about north, or north-north- 

 west, I felt certain we were on its western and south- 

 western verge. It rapidly increased in violence ; but 

 I was pleased to see the wind veering to the north- 

 west, as it convinced me that I had put the ship on 

 the right track, namely, on the starboard tack, stand- 

 ing, of course, to the southwest. From ten A. M. to 

 three P. M. it blew with great violence, but the ship 

 being well prepared rode comparatively easy. The 

 barometer was now very low, the centre of the storm 

 passing to the northward of us, to which we might 

 have been very near had we in the first place put the 

 ship on the larboard tack." 



But the most remarkable point of Captain Hall's 

 account remains to be mentioned. He had gone out 



