CUREENTS AND TYPHOONS. 75 



From long experience it became easy to foretell the 

 approach of these disagreeable visitors. First, as a 

 never-failing indicator, the barometer stands unrivalled. 

 It must, however, be thoroughly understood before 

 reliance on it can be felt, the ordinary rising and 

 falling of the mercury being quite insufficient. Speak- 

 ing generally, a falling barometer with the wind 

 between north-west and east (through north) is a bad 

 sign. A long heavy swell setting in from the south- 

 east, without any previous wind from the same direc- 

 tion, is another suspicious indication. The sun setting 

 amongst high-banked clouds, and giving out copper- 

 coloured rays, denotes some uncomfortable change. 

 Birds coming steadily in from seaward, as if anxious 

 to be near shelter, is a very certain forerunner of 

 bad weather. If all, or oue or two, of these signs are 

 observed at the same time, when the weather is other- 

 wise bright, fine, and everything that is pleasant, my 

 maxim was, "Get to a safe harbour." The falling 

 barometer and the swell setting in, generally gave 

 forty-eight hours' warning, but the other indications 

 were less reliable. 



When these storms occur, if a port cannot be reached, 

 the next best thing is to get well away from :the coast ; 

 at the same time, the land hardly ever becomes a lee- 



