166 



' smokes: 



dangerously indeed for ships : the wind veers 

 round to every point of the compass; the sky 

 is murky and overcast ; huge purple nimbi, like 

 moving mountains, float majestically against the 

 wind, showing strong counter-currents in the 

 upper aerial regions. Prom afar the island ap- 

 pears smothered in blue mist, and often the cloud- 

 rock splits into two portions, one of which makes 

 for the coast. Even during the rare days of 

 sunshine the distances, owing to the con- 

 tinuous humidity, are rarely clear, and the ex- 

 halations make refraction extensive. A high 

 tension of vapour is the rule. Eor the first three 

 hours after sunrise the land is often obscured by 

 ' smokes,' a white misty fog, often deepening to 

 a drizzling rain; this lasts until 10 a.m., about 

 which time the sea-breeze begins to blow. 



The Msika is much feared by the native 

 population, and the interior of the island be- 

 comes a hot-bed of disease. The animal creation 

 seems to breathe as much water as air. The 

 want of atmospheric weight, and consequently of 

 pressure upon the surface of the body, renders 

 the circulation sluggish, robs man of energy, and 

 makes him feel how much better is sleep than 

 waking. Europeans, speaking from effect, com- 

 plain that the ' heavy ' air produces an unnatural 



