CHAP. IV. PREPARATIONS FOR A HURRICANE. 101 



at Beau Bassin ; for I felt it a privilege to become acquainted 

 with so excellent a specimen of the colonial life of an English 

 family. 



It was the custom of ]\Irs. Brownrigg and her mother to 

 spend an hour or more in teaching in a school, which had 

 been established for educating the children of the labourers 

 on the estate, and others in the neighbourhood. The school- 

 master had lately died, and, until another could be obtained, 

 these benevolent ladies, notwithstanding the heat of the 

 weather and the unavoidable fatigue, daily occupied them- 

 selves in this manner. The school was well fm-nished, and 

 some of the children had made good progress. The Indian chil- 

 dren were by far the most apt, but the Creoles were more docile. 



Besides the members of this hospitable family, I had 

 here the pleasure of meeting with several agreeable and in- 

 telligent friends, amongst them, Mr. Beke, whom I after- 

 wards visited at his own residence, receiving from him many 

 attentions, and learning much of Abyssinia and Arabia, in 

 which countries he had been a distinguished and observant 

 traveller. 



The weather in Mauritius is usually unsettled during the 

 first three months of the year ; and it is at this season that 

 hurricanes occur in these regions. On the 11th of February, 

 having heard a gun fired from the fort, which I understood 

 was a signal for all vessels to take doAvn their upper masts 

 and yards, while at the same time the flag was flying at the 

 port office to warn all vessels outside to put out to sea, I 

 hastened to the post office with my letters, deeming it pro- 

 bable that the packet might sail earlier than the appointed 

 hour, in order to avoid the storm ; and on going afterwards 

 to the landing place I saw the flag with a blue cross flying at 

 the port office, indicating that a gale or hurricane might be 

 expected. The barometer had been sinking all day. The sky 

 was dark, the rain frequent, the scud was flying in wild con- 



H 3 



