6 



sky being clear in other parts. When this cloud 

 appears, the country people say the Helm is up ; 

 which is an Anglo-Saxon word, signifying pro- 

 perly a covering for the head, from whence 

 comes the word helmet. This helm is not 

 dispersed or blown away by the wind, but con- 

 tinues in its station, although a violent roaring 

 hurricane comes tumbling down the mountain, 

 ready to tear up all before it : Then on a sud- 

 den ensues a profound calm : And then again 

 alternately the tempest ; which seldom extends 

 into the country above a mile or two from the 

 bottom of the mountain. 



In the modern part of the Universal History, 

 vol. xv. p. 519. we find an account of exactly 

 the like appearance on some of the hills near 

 the Cape of Good Hope, thus described by 

 those elegant authors: " In the dry season, a 

 white cloud hovers over the top of the moun- 

 tains ; from which cloud issues the south-west 

 winds with incredible fury, shattering houses, 

 endangering shipping, and greatly damaging 

 the fruits of the Dearth : upon discovery of which 

 cloud, the sailors immediately prepare for a 

 storm." 



