CHAP. 83. (81.)—SIGNS OF AN APPROACHING EARTHQUAKE.
There is no doubt that earthquakes are felt by persons on
shipboard, as they are struck by a sudden motion of the
waves, without these being raised by any gust of wind.
And things that are in the vessels shake as they do in houses,
and give notice by their creaking; also the birds, when they
settle upon the vessels, are not without their alarms. There
is also a sign in the heavens; for, when a shock is near at
hand, either in the daytime or a little after sunset, a cloud
is stretched out in the clear sky, like a long thin line [Note]. The
water in wells is also more turbid than usual, and it emits a
disagreeable odour [Note].