An Equinoctial Storm; or, Adventures of a Hat.
About the 20th of March and the 20th of September, of each year, the day and night are of equal length, all the world over; that is to say, the day is twelve hours long and the night twelve hours long.
The sun appears at this time to pass from east to west, around the middle of the earth, or over the equator. If you were at Quito in South America, or anywhere near the equator, either on the 20th of March or the 20th of September, the sun would appear, at noon, to be exactly over your head.
These periods of the year are called the equinoxes, and for some reason which cannot be well explained, furious storms are usually experienced about the time they occur. These are called equinoctial storms. I am going to relate a story of one which occurred a good many years since.
It was in March, about the year 1815, that Dr. Pill was riding along toward his house. The wind was high, and the rain fell in torrents. The doctor’s greatcoat was twirled about his ears, and he was himself almost thrown off the horse. He galloped on, however, and came at last in sight of the village steeple, near which was his house.
Just as his eyes gladly caught sight of his house, a furious rush of wind took his hat off his head, and sent it away, skimming like a hawk upon the breeze. The dog pursued the hat for some distance, but just as it appeared to be falling to the ground, a fresh puff of the gale lifted it high in the air, and carried it over the tops of the trees, out of sight.
Poor Dr. Pill could not now stop to pursue his runaway hat—so, with his hair flying in the wind, he galloped home. The storm lasted two days, and then cleared away. But the whole country was drenched with a flood. The rivers rose above their banks, and swept over the plains; bridges were carried away; houses were undermined and torn to pieces; cattle were drowned, and trees torn up by the roots!
It was near a week before the doctor could set out in search of his hat. Taking his dog with him, at last he went to make an effort to discover his lost property. Going to the place where it was taken off his head, and proceeding in the direction whither it had been carried, he made diligent search for it. His dog, Watch, seemed to understand what was wanted, and exerted himself to the utmost in the hunt. But all was unavailing, and Dr. Pill was obliged to return without his hat.
Several weeks passed, until, at length, the doctor was returning home by a bridle path that led through some thick, wild shrubbery. Here his attention was arrested by the barking of his dog, in a manner so vehement as to show that something extraordinary was in the wind. The doctor dismounted from his horse, and pushed through the bushes for about a dozen rods.