Page:Awful phenomena of nature -- snow storms, third of March and twenty-third April, 1827.pdf/16

 Tear up the sands, and sweep the whole plains away,

The helpless traveller, with wild surprise,

Sees the dry desart round and round him rise,

And, smothered in the dusty whirlwind, dies."

The few hours we remained in this situation were passed in unbroken silence; every one was occupied with his own reflections, as if the region of terror forbade communication. Its fury spent itself, like the storms of ocean, in sudden lulls and squalls; but it was not until the third or fourth interval that our fears were sufficiently conquered to address each other; nor shall I soon lose the recollection of the impressive manner in which that was done: "Allah kereem!" exclaimed the poor Bedouin, although habit had familiarized him with these resistless storms. "Allah kereem!" repeated the Egyptians with terrified solemnity; and both my servant and myself, as if by instinct, joined in the general exclamation. The bold imagery of the Eastern poets, describing the Deity as avenging in his anger, and terrible in his wrath, riding upon the wings of the wind, and breathing his fury in the storm, must have been inspired by scenes like these."

Dr. Donne took possession of his first living, he took a walk into the church-yard,