44 



'AUDUBON 



when they moved to Henderson, where Rozier did what 

 business was done, and Audubon drew, fished, hunted, and 

 rambled in the woods to his heart's content, but his purse's 

 depletion. He describes this life in the episode " Fishing 

 in the Ohio," and in these rushing times such an Arcadian 

 existence seems impossible. Small wonder that his wife's 

 relatives, with their English thrift, lost patience with him, 

 could not believe he was aught but idle, because he did 

 not work their way. I doubt not many would think, as 

 they did, that he wasted his days, when in truth he was 

 laying up stores of knowledge which later in life brought 

 him a rich harvest. Waiting times are always long, long- 

 est to those who do not understand the silent inner growth 

 which goes on and on, yet makes no outward sign for 

 months and even years, as in the case of Audubon. 



Henderson was then a tiny place, and gains being small 

 if any, Rozier and Audubon, in December, 1810, started 

 for St. Genevieve, spent their winter in camp, and reached 

 their destination when the ice broke up. On April 11, 

 181 1, they dissolved partnership, and wrote each as they 

 felt, Audubon saying : " Rozier cared only for money and 

 liked St. Genevieve; " Rozier writing: "Audubon had no 

 taste for commerce, and was continually in the forest." 



Once more, however, he went to St. Genevieve to try 

 to get money Rozier owed him, and returned to Hender- 

 son on foot, still unpaid, in February or March of 18 12. 

 He had gone with a party of Osage Indians, but his jour- 

 ney back was made alone. He writes in his journal, simply 

 with date of April, 1 8 1 2 : — 



" Bidding Rozier good-bye, I whistled to my dog, 

 crossed the Mississippi and went off alone and on foot, 

 bent on reaching Shawanee Town as soon as possible; 

 but little had I foreseen the task before me, for soon as I had 

 left the river lands and reached the prairies, I found them 

 covered with water, like large lakes; still nothing would 

 have made me retrace my steps, and the thoughts of my 



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