i 86 Travels into the Levant. Part IL 
Glafs-Pipe that is very clear, being fet in the light at fome diftance from our 
Eyes, appears not, unlefs it be full of fome coloured liquor. Thefe Pipes were / 
not Itreight, but in fome places crooked, (fee the Figure D) neither were the' 
perpendicular \ on the contrary, from the Clouds (into which they fecmcd to oe 
infcrted, to the places where they drew up the water,) they flpaped very Ob- 
liquely, as you may fee by the Figure D : and what is more fmgular, the Cloud 
to which the fécond of thefe three was fiftened, having been driven by the Wind, 
the Pipe followed it without breaking, or leaving the place where it drew up the 
water, and palling behind the Pipe of the firft, they made for fometime a Saltier^ 
or the Figure of St. Andrervi Crofs, (fee the Figuie E,} in the beginning they 
were all three as big as ones Finger, as 1 have already obfcrved ■■, but in the pro- 
grefs, the firit of the three, fwelled to a confiderable bignefs. I can fay nothing 
of the other two, for the laft that was formed was almoft as foon fpent ; that to the 
South continued about a quarter of an hour i but the firft on the fame fide, lafted 
fomewhat longer, and was that which put us into the greateft fear, and whereof I 
have ftill fomewhat more to fay : at firrt the Pipe of it was as big as ones Finger, 
then it fwelled as big as a mans Arm, after that as big as ones Leg, and at length 
as big as the Trunk of a good Tree, as much as a Man can Fathom about s (fee 
the Figure Fj We could plainly fee through that tranfparent body, the water 
winding and turning as it mounted up -, and now and then the thicknefs of it 
decreafed, fometimes at the top -, (fee the Figure G >) and fometimcs at the Root i 
(fee the Figure H. ) At that time it exaâly 'reffembled a Gut filled with fome 
fluid matter, and prefTed with ones Fingers, cither above, to make the liquor de- 
fcend i or below, to make it mount up i and I was perfuaded that the violence 
of the Wind made thefe alterations, making the water mount very fafi when ic 
forced upon the lower end of the Pipe, and making it defcend, when it prefTed 
the upper part ; after that, the bignefs of it fo lefTened, that it was lefs than a Mans 
Arm, like a Gut when it is ftrained and'drawn perpendicularly out in length-, then 
it grew as big as ones Thigh, and afterwards dwindled again very fmall. At 
length I perceived that the boyling on the furface of the Sea began to fettle, and 
the end of the Pipe that touched it, ftparated from it, and fhrunk together, as if 
it had been tied i (fee the Figure I,) and then the light (which appeared by the 
blowing away of 'a Cloud,) made me lofe fight of iti however I lookt out 
for fome time, it I might fee it again, becaufe I had obferved, that the Pipe of 
_ the fécond on that fide, had appeared tous three or four times, to break (hort off 
in the middle, and that immediately after, we had feen it whole again, one half 
of it being only hid from us by the light j but it was to no purpofe for me to look 
(harply out s for this appeared no more; fo that there was an end of our Spouts, 
and I gave God thanks, (as all the other Franks did,) that he had delivered us from 
them. They attributed that mercy to the Holy Gofpel, which I had faid, where- 
in I arrogate nothing to my fclf, being not fo unreafonable as to think that my merit 
contributed any thing -, but perhaps God had fome refped to our good intention, 
and the tiuft that all of us repofed on his Holy Gofpel. In fine, there is nothing 
more certain, than that notwithftanding the inconflancy of the Wind which 
fhifted all Points, none of thefe Spouts came nearer us, than the place where firft 
they began i and this I may with fincerity affirm, that in all dangers of Storms, 
Pirats, and other accidents, wherein I have been often engaged, it was always 
my pradifc, to rehearfe this Holy Gofpel, and God in his great mercy hath pre- 
ferved me from all. 
The effefts of Thefe Spouts are very dangerous at Sea, for if they come upon a Ship, they 
Spouts. entangle the Sails, fo that fometimes they will lift it up, and then letting it /all down 
again, fink it to the bottom i which chiefly happens when the Veffel is fmall > 
but if they lift not up the Ship, at leaff they Split all the Sails, or elfe empty all their 
water into it, which finks it to rights i and 1 makenodoubc, but that many Ships 
that have no more been heard of, have been lofi: by fuch accidents : feeing we 
have but too many inftances of thofe which have been known to have peri(hed 
fo of a certain. Befides the Devotion of the Holy Gofpel, the human remedies 
which Sea- men ufe againfl Spouts,is to furle all the Sails, and to fire fome Guns with 
fhot againlt the Pipe of the Spout h and that their (hot may be furer to hit, inflead 
of Bullet, they charge the Gun with a crofs-bar-fhot, wherewith they endeavour 
to cut the Pipe, if the Spout be within fliot of them j and when they have the 
good 
