WEATHER DISTURBERS 249 



in enlightened England. Addison has a sarcastic reference 

 to the superstition in one of his delightful essays. Detail- 

 ing the news brought from his country seat by Sir Roger 

 de Coverley, he says that the good knight informed him 

 that Moll White was dead, and that about a month after 

 her death, the wind was so very high that it blew down the 

 end of one of his barns. " But for my own part," says Sir 

 Roger, " I do not think that the old woman had any hand 

 in it." In this particular, blacks are not so very far in the 

 wake of races quite respectable in other points of 

 civilisation. 



Among other causes to which bad weather is ascribed 

 is the eating by the young men of the porcupine {echidna), 

 a dainty reserved for the wise, conservative old men. If 

 young men should eat of the forbidden flesh, a terrible 

 calamity will befall — the clouds will "come down al- 

 together." One day Tom picked up a young porcupine 

 before it had time to dig a refuge in the soil, and took it 

 to his camp alive. That afternoon a south-east gale sprang 

 up, masses of rain-clouds driving tumultuously to the 

 mountains of the mainland, but Tom was still youthful, 

 and we felt fairly safe in respect of the stability of the dull 

 and heavy, and wind-swept firmament. As we watched, 

 a cloud settled on the summit of Clump Point mountain, 

 assuming shape as fancy pictures the Banshee — drooping 

 head and shoulders, and arms with pendant drapery 

 uplifted as in imprecation. The boys, in awe-struck atti- 

 tude, pointed to the vapoury spectre, and prognosticated 

 fearsome rain and wind. It all came during the night. 

 Next morning one of the boys was eager to declare that 

 the nocturnal tempest was due to Tom, who had eaten the 

 porcupine. We had seen his weird mother-in-law, aged 

 and decrepid, preparing it for supper. When Tom 

 appeared, he was duly denounced, and challenged with the 

 responsibility of the storm. " No ! " he cried with scorn. 

 " Me no eat 'em that fella porcupine ; chuck 'em away." 

 He had intended to, but the thought of the apparition on 

 Clump Point mountain, and of the awful responsibility of 



