41 8 Life of Audubon, 



tains to Wheeling, went from there to Cincinnati and St 

 Louis by steamers, where they arrived on the 28th of 

 March. From thence they ascended the Missouri River 

 to Jefferson City, the capital of the State, about one hun- 

 dred and seventy miles from St. Louis. There they saw 

 nothing worthy of note except the State House and Peni- 

 tentiary. 



, The town was a poor-looking j)lace, and the neighbor- 

 ing country poor and broken ; but the public buildings 

 commanded a fine view up and down the river. " Yester- 

 day," says the Journal, " we passed many long lines of 

 elevated banks, ornamented by stupendous rocks of lime- 

 stone, having many curious holes, into which we saw vul- 

 tures and eagles enter towards evening. 



" As we ascended the river the strength of the current 

 increased, and in some places we stemmed it with diffi- 

 culty; and near Willow Islands it ran so rapidly, that we 

 found ourselves going down stream, and were compelled 

 to make fast to the shore. 



" March 30. As we sail along the shores, I notice 

 young willows and cotton-trees half submerged by the 

 freshet, waving to and fro, as if trembling at the rage of 

 the rushing water, and in fear of being destroyed by it ; 

 and it really seemed as if the mighty current was going 

 to overwhelm in its rage all that the Creator had lavished 

 on its luxuriant shore. The banks are falling in and tak- 

 ing thousands of trees, and the current is bearing them 

 away from the places where they have stood and grown 

 for ages. It is an awful exemplification of the course of 

 Nature, where all is conflict between life and death. 



'■^ March -i^i. As we sail up the river, squatters and 

 planters are seen abandoning their dwellings, which the 

 water is overflowing, and making towards the highlands, 

 that are from one to four miles inland. We passed two 

 houses filled with women and children, entirely surround- 



