304 A HURRICANE. 



hours ago, expressed their warning, told it, in 

 truth, to the self-styled Lords of Creation, too proud 

 to acknowledge the superior foresight ; told it to the 

 minor weaker animals, too thankful to receive and 

 profit by the admonition. 



About midnight, the advance-guard of the hurri- 

 cane struck us ; its power impressed us with the 

 belief that the main body would accomplish our 

 destruction. The canoe we had placed edgewise on 

 its beam to windward, firmly braced with withes and 

 poles, to afford some protection. At the first squall 

 it was spun round like a cockle-shell, and dropped 

 upon us like a gigantic extinguisher. More braces 

 and props being attached to it, again it was deemed 

 strong enough to cope with the warring elements ; 

 but we were wrong, for we had just deemed our 

 work complete, when the canoe was torn from its 

 situation, and hurled against a log with sufficient 

 violence to demolish it to atoms. Here is an end to 

 our aquatic progression, thought I, and, what 's more,- 

 expressed it, but my comrade neither thought nor 

 spoke, but rushed after the object of our solicitude. 

 In a moment he had seized it by the stern ; an instant 

 after a fresh gust struck it ; the strength of one 

 human being was not enough to resist, so the old 

 fellow was thrown down in a most unceremonious 

 manner, minus our treasure, but which, before roll- 

 ing many paces, was, fortunately, checked by coming 

 broadside on to a thick clump of hazel-bushes. 



Apparently little injured the canoe was brought 



