26 
The Tornado . 
mouth. The lightning seems to work its way 
into our eyes, the air-shaking thunder rolls and 
roars around our very ears ; the oars are taken in 
utterly useless, the storm-wind sweeps the boat 
before it at full speed as though it had been a bit 
of straw. Selim and I sat with a large mackin¬ 
tosh sheet over our hunched backs, thus offering a 
breakwater to the waves ; happily for us, the 
billow-heads were partly cut off and carried away 
bodily by the raging wind, and the opened foun¬ 
tains of the firmament beat down the breakers 
before they could grow to their full growth. 
Otherwise we were lost men; the southern shore 
was still two miles distant, and, as it was, the 
danger was not despicable. These tornadoes are 
harmless enough to a cruiser, and under a good 
roof men bless them. But H.M.S. “ Heron ” was 
sunk by one, and the venture of a cranky gig 
laden a flettr d'eau is what some call “ tempting 
Providence.” 
Stunned with thunder, dazzled by the vivid 
flashes of white lightning, dizzy with the drive 
of the boat, and drenched by the torrents and 
washings from above and below, we were not 
a little pleased to feel the storm-wind slowly 
lulling, as it had cooled the heated regions 
ahead, and to see the sky steadily clearing up 
behind, as the blackness of the cloud, rushing 
with racer speed, passed over and beyond us. 
