CIIAP. IV. 
PREPARATIONS EOR A HURRICANE. 
101 
at Beau Bassin; for I felt it a privilege to become acquainted 
with so excellent a specimen of the colonial life of an English 
family. 
It was the custom of Mrs. Brownrigg and her mother to 
spend an hour or more in teaching in a school, which had 
been established for educating the children of the labourers 
on the estate, and others in the neighbourhood. The school¬ 
master had lately died, and, until another could be obtained, 
these benevolent ladies, notwithstanding the heat of the 
weather and the unavoidable fatigue, daily occupied them¬ 
selves in this manner. The school was well furnished, and 
some of the children had made good progress. The Indian chil¬ 
dren were by far the most apt, but the Creoles were more docile. 
Besides the members of this hospitable family, I had 
here the pleasure of meeting with several agreeable and in¬ 
telligent friends, amongst them, Mr. Beke, whom I after¬ 
wards visited at his own residence, receiving from him many 
attentions, and learning much of Abyssinia and Arabia, in 
which countries he had been a distinguished and observant 
traveller. 
The weather in Mauritius is usually unsettled during the 
first three months of the year; and it is at this season that 
hurricanes occur in these regions. On the 11th of February, 
having heard a gun fired from the fort, which I understood 
was a signal for all vessels to take down their upper masts 
and yards, while at the same time the flag was flying at the 
port office to warn all vessels outside to put out to sea, I 
hastened to the post office with my letters, deeming it pro¬ 
bable that the packet might sail earlier than the appointed 
hour, in order to avoid the storm; and on going afterwards 
to the landing place I saw the flag with a blue cross flying at 
the port office, indicating that a gale or hurricane might be 
expected. The barometer had been sinking all day. The sky 
was dark, the rain frequent, the scud was flying in wild con- 
H 3 
