THE GREAT PINE SWAMP. 81 



long clerislied, so dearly prized ? That lie felt to 

 be impossible. To follow them at any rate were 

 preferable, and thus renewed, in spirit, with fresh 

 resolve, alternations of feeling no longer tor- 

 mented him. Dividing his collection into sepa- 

 rate parcels of five plates, he improved the whole 

 carefully as much as was in his power. He then 

 determined to retire further from the haunts of 

 men, while nothing that his labour, time, or 

 means could command, should be left undone, 

 to ensure the realization of his plan. Wisely he 

 toiled, in solitude, and self sustained. He con- 

 tinued to explore the forests, lakes, and prairies, 

 in order to enrich his collections, even penetrat- 

 ing to the Great Pine swamp. In reaching it, 

 he was rattled by his conductor down a steep 

 declivity, edged on the one hand by perpen- 

 dicular rocks ; on the other, by a noisy stream, 

 which seemed to threaten the approach of stran- 

 gers. The thick growth of pines and laurels 

 rendered the swamp one mass of darkness. But, 

 with his gun and note-book, Audubon struggled 

 through its mazes, now lingering to enrich his 

 portfolio, while wild turkeys, pheasants, and 

 grouse hovered about his feet, now beguiling 

 his toil by listening to the poetry of Burns, read 

 aloud by his companion while he polished some 

 sketch in hand. 



On one occasion, during his wanderings, when 



p 



