Page:Don Coronado through Kansas.djvu/154

A KANSAS TORNADO. 143 After a few minutes hail stones began to descend about the size of peas and as large as hazel nuts, then the stones began to come faster and larger, until many were as large as hen's eggs. And now the horses became frightened; in fact, they were badly injured by the frozen chunks of ice with which nature was pelting them. Many of the party were tattooed in black and blue as a memento of th«ir experience. Iten the shower of haU-stones ceased, and there seemed to be a strange ominous stiUness, which to the inexperienced had no significence, but it caused Ysopete to be on the alert, and he beoaime intensely interested in the clouds and horizon. After a few moments he became more excited than when he saw his countrymen the day before. He could smell, the danger and the clouds were giving the signal of warn- ing he had seen before. The Chief of all Signal Ser- vice displays the emblem denoting a change of weather. These signals were floating clouds in the heavens of so pronounced a character that all the party were awed, and although as brave as the brav- est, their hearts quaked. Every eye was intent on the peculiar-shaped clouds. Eight over their heads, a little to the south, there was a funnel-shaped vap- ory cloud, apparently without motion; it resembled an immense column of white steam, the upper part flaring like a funnel, tapering and becoming smaller toward the earth. This seemed to be stationary, but of course it was not, for it receded before the mighty bl'ast wiiich was two or three miles away, toward the soal'r.vest: but the party had not observed, except by ntitu.-o's intuition, that something was about to