260 A WHIRLWIND. 



Kafilah people, induced me to leave my hut to see 

 what could be the matter ; every one was running 

 about for mats and skins, with which they covered 

 in a great hurry the heaps of salt bags, that 

 surrounded the encampment. Those who had 

 charge of the stores of the Embassy, were equally 

 busy in protecting the boxes and packages, from a 

 storm which was fast approaching, for on looking 

 towards the east I saw, with astonishment, the sky 

 in that direction quite dark, with one vast cloud of 

 wind, and the red sand borne up before it. Its 

 rotary motion was very evident, although the 

 whirlwind, as it really was, was too large and too 

 near to be seen distinctly as a separate body, which 

 it might have been at some little distance. It 

 advanced towards the camp at the rate of about 

 ten or twelve miles an hour, but as numbers were 

 now shouting to me to get under cover, and I did 

 not know exactly what effects to anticipate, I 

 made a dive into rny hut, and WTapping my head 

 and face up in my handkerchief to prevent inhaling 

 more of the fine sand than could be avoided, I 

 awaited the result. In a few moments afterwards, 

 the strength of the wind passed over us, whirling 

 the roof of my hut, along with the mats covering 

 the salt, high up in the air, and scattering them far 

 and wide over the plain. The heavy stones that 

 had been placed upon them to prevent such an 

 occurrence being rolled off, sometimes upon the 

 prostrate Kafilah men, who lay under the sides of the 



