100 WILD SCENES AND SONG-BIRDS. 



obtained a footing, and held my horse's reign. The storm 

 was of short duration when the sun burst through the 

 vapory clouds that lingered heavily yet, and a dozen voices 

 exclaimed, " the rainbow 1 the rainbow I" 



I looked up I never saw one so brilliant before it daz- 

 zled me I felt as if it was in my eyes. By this time I had 

 stepped down from the door-sill to the step, and naturally 

 looking down as I did so, to my great astonishment, the 

 rainbow laid along the ground before me, crossing the road 

 to the fence up the rails of which it could be distinctly 

 traced, until it again became visible up the air, forming the 

 arc which dipped at the apparent horizon about a mile 

 beyond the field. I could distinctly trace that segment of 

 the arc which seemed to lay along the ground, and up the 

 fence on the air, as it sprang directly from where my feet 

 rested. 



It only seemed to lie upon the ground from its perfect 

 transparency. The near limb made itself first visible on the 

 points of my boots, and then sprung out and up, directly 

 in front of me the upper rim of the segments being within 

 a few inches of my face. 



I at first thought that the unusual brilliancy and sud- 

 denness of the appearance, had dazzled my vision and 

 confused it, but when I heard one after another of the old 

 farmers behind me exclaiming to each other at the strange- 

 ness of the thing, I turned and asked them if they could see 

 it on the steps, along the road, and up the fence all answer- 

 ed in the ainrmative, and several remarked that they could 

 see it on my shoes. I was unwilling to be deceived, and 

 called forward the oldest man in the company, a farmer of 

 68, and asked him if he could see it. He said, 



" Yes but bless God, this is the first time ever I heard 

 in my born days, of the end of a rainbow being seen, much 

 less of a man standing on it. And they ain't no bag of gold 

 thar after all !" he ejaculated, in a tone that drew forth a 

 general laugh. 



