46 AUDUBON THE NATURALIST. 



man in the state is used to handle the deadly 

 weapon from the time he can shoulder it, it will 

 be evident that the Kentuckians are no con- 

 temptible antagonists. 



But yet more formidable than to contest with 

 such a foe is to encounter that terrible pheno- 

 menon known in the State where it is so fre- 

 quent as a hurricane. Audubon, surprised by 

 one on his journey from Henderson, appears to 

 have retained as vivid an idea of its awful 

 grandeur as of that of the earthquake. It is 

 preceded also by a thick haze in the atmosphere, 

 from which he would have inferred a recurrence 

 of the same catastrophe, but that his horse ex- 

 hibited this time no inchnation to stop and pre- 

 pare for it. Having arrived at the verge of a 

 valley, Audubon dismounted to quench his 

 thirst from a brook close at hand, and while 

 leaning on his knees, close to the earth, he heard 

 a strange murmuring sound, far in the distance. 

 Raising his head, he observed towards the south- 

 west, an extraordinary phenomenon, of a yellow- 

 tinged oval spot on the horizon. Before he had 

 time to reflect upon it, a sharp breeze agitated 

 the trees, increasing rapidly, till the smaller 

 branches were soon falling to the ground. 



In two minutes more the whole forest was in 

 fearful commotion. The creaking noise of the 

 huge trunks pressing against each other from the 



