462 



AUDUBON 



and it fell dead on the spot. We found the woods filled 

 with birds — all known, however, to us: Golden-crowned 

 Thrush, Cerulean Warblers, Woodpeckers of various kinds, 

 etc. ; but not a Duck in the bayou, to my surprise. At 

 one the wind lulled somewhat, and as we had taken all 

 the fence-rails and a quantity of dry stuff of all sorts, we 

 were ready to attempt our ascent, and did so. It was 

 curious to see sixty or seventy men carrying logs forty or 

 fifty feet long, some well dried and some green, on their 

 shoulders, all of which were wanted by our captain, for 

 some purpose or other. In a great number of instances 

 the squatters, farmers, or planters, as they may be called, 

 are found to abandon their dwellings or make towards 

 higher grounds, which fortunately are here no farther off 

 than from one to three miles. After we left, we met with 

 the strength of the current, but with our stakes, fence-rails, 

 and our dry wood, we made good headway. At one 

 place we passed a couple of houses, with women and chil- 

 dren, perfectly surrounded by the flood ; these houses 

 stood apparently on the margin of a river ^ coming in from 

 the eastward. The whole farm was under water, and all 

 around was the very perfection of disaster and misfortune. 

 It appeared to us as if the men had gone to procure as- 

 sistance, and I was grieved that we could not offer them 

 any. We saw several trees falling in, and beautiful, though 

 painful, was the sight. As they fell, the spray which rose 

 along their whole length was exquisite ; but alas ! these 

 magnificent trees had reached the day of oblivion. 



A few miles above New Brunswick v/e stopped to take 

 in wood, and landed three of our Indians, who, belonging 

 to the Iowa tribe, had to travel up La Grande Riviere, 

 The wind lulled away, and we ran all night, touching, for 

 a few minutes, on a bar in the middle of the river. 



1 This is the stream then as now known as Grand River, which at its 

 mouth separates Chariton from Carroll County, Mo. Here is the site of 

 Brunswick, or New Brunswick, which Audubon presently mentions. — E, C 



