The boy travellers in the Far East : adventures of two youths ... - Library

31-1
THE BOY TRAVELLERS.
A. TYPHOON.
"It has never been my fortune," the Doctor continued, "to be fartlier
in a typlioon at sea than the outer edge, but that was quite as much as I
wanted. One time on land I saw and felt one of these tempests ; it drove
ships from their moorings, swamped hundreds of boats, unroofed many
houses, tore trees wp by the roots, stripped others of their branches, threw
down walls and fences, flooded the land, and caused a vast amount of havoc
everywhere. Hundreds of people were drowned Ijy the floods, and the
traces of the storm will last for many years. The city that has suffered
most by these storms is Calcutta. On two occasions the centre of a ty-
phoon has passed over the harbor or witliin a few miles of it, and the
whole shipping of the port was driven from its moorings and the greater
part completely or partially wrecked."
While tliey were listening to the remarks of the Doctor the boys ob-
served that the wind was inci-easing, and as they looked at the compass
tliey found that the ship's course had been changed. Everything about
the vessel that could l)e made fast was carefully secured, and the party
M-as notified that they might be ordered lielow at any moment. The waves
were not running liigh, and but for the very severe wind there would have
been nothing to cause more than ordinary motion on board the steamer.
After a time the wa\-es broke into what is called a "choppy sea;" the