Page:Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile - In the Years 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, and 1773 volume 4.djvu/451

 THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 423

■ \ By a violent wliirlwind, or what is called at fea the water-

fpout. The plain was red earth, which had been plentiful^ ly moiilened by a Ihower in the n ght-time. The unfortu- nate camel that had been taken by ihe Cohala feemed to be nearly in the center of its vortex It was lifted and thrown down at a confiderable diftance, and feveral of its ribs bro- ken. Although, as far as I could guefs, I was not- near the center, it whirled me off my feet, and threw me down upoa my face, fo as to make my nofe gufli out with blood. Two of the fervants likewifc had the fame fate. It plaiftered us all over with mud, almoft as fmoothly as could have been done with a. troweL It took away my fenfe and breathing for an inftant, and my motuh and nofe were full of mud when I recovered. I guefs the fphere of its a6lion to be about 200 feet. It demoliihed one half of a fmall hut as if it had been cut through with a knife, and difperfed the ma- terials all over the plain, leaving; the other half Handing,

As foon as we recovered ourfelves, we took refuge in a village, from fear only, for we faw no veftige of any other ■whirlwind. It involved a great quantity of rain, which the Nuba of the villages told us was very fortunate, and por- tended good luck to us, and a profperous journey ; for they faid, that had duft and fand arifen with the whirlwind, in the fame proportion it would have done had not the earth been moiftened, we lliould all infallibly have been fu£- focated ; and they cautioned us, by faying, that tem- pefts were very frequent in the beginning and end of the rainy feafon, and whenever we fhould fee one of them co- ming, to fall down upon our faces, keeping our lips clofe to the ground, and lb let it pafs ; and thus it would neither

have.