The Florida agriculturist., 1889-07-24

Visible currents. Sometimes a aCOcOanut or
an orange would float past, silent heralds
of the islands near at hand The course
the steamer was steering was taking her
toward the group of little islands be-
tween the greater and lesser Antilles, Of
which st. Thomas is one. 1t was there
that they were to make their first land
ing.
The officer had pointed toward the
southwest, or few points off the star
board bow. Percy could see nothing re-
markable there; but Valentine, who was
familiar with the sea, at once fixed his
eyes upon a small dark cloud, low down
on the water, the popularity Of which
was that it changed it's shape with great
rapidity, and without any apparent
cause. One moment it looked like a
hand, with the fingers extended; then it
was like hat, the crown of which grew
larger and larger until it presented the
aspect of pointed foolscap. Then the
cap suddenly inverted itself, and stood
on it's apex; then the foolscap divided
down the center, and took the form of a
huge bird with wings pointed upwards
THAT is rather odd,' muttered Valen-
tine, intently watching the protean little
cloud. 81 have seen hurricane begin
that way. hope it will give us wide
berth This is bad place to be caught
by tornado, with that string Of islands
right ahead Of U.s."
''It must be couple of hundred miles
to the nearest Of them, said Percy 1--WE
are safe enough. This steamer can stand
anything"
There comes the captain" Observed
Valentine, without noticing Percy re-
mark.
In fact the captain emerged from his
cabin and mounted the bridge; he cast
glance at the cloud and then gave some
orders In low tone. They were fol-
lowed by an immediate activity on the
part of the watch on deck. The sailors
moved rapidly about, and seemed to be
occupied in slowing under matches or
otherwise making fast various barrels,
cases and other loose objects that had
hitherto been kept on deck Meanwhile
the captain had got out telescope and
was contemplating the cloud through it
with great earnestness. Presently he
passed the glass to the officer who stood
by him on the bridge, and who also took
a careful observation; then they con-
versed together in an undertone and oc-
casionally issued a new order to the
crew. There were no sails set on the
steamer: but the sheets and halliards
were hauled taut and securely Delayed
and everything was made fast and bat
tened down in such way that nothing
short of hurricane could dislodge it.
''The old man understands his bust
ness" remarked Valentine, and fancy
he thinks that it may need all he knows
to pull us through. Look at the cloud
now!'
Valentine again turned his eyes toward
the southwest. The small cloud had
suddenly become very much larger, and
was now seen to be connected with
mass of dark vapor that was rapidly
crowding upon that section Of the hori-
zon, and of which it was the pioneer.
This vapor was of an extraordinary dark
ness. or rather blackness; it had not the
blue shade that Is often seen in storm
clouds, but was Of the hue Of the densest
factory smoke, with yellow and greenish
streaks upon it here and there. The rim
or upper margin Of the oncoming black
ness continued to advance with such as
tonishing rapidity that after only few
moments it had blotted itself upon all
that quarter of the horizon, and now
seemed to have embodied the forerun-