86 sole NOTES. TAKEN. 
inconceivable power exerted, fortunately attended with but 
little loss of life and limb. . 
The same tornado destroyed the buildings and the beauti- 
ful {parade at Fort Towson, one hundred and forty miles 
distant, creating a most singular coincidence, viz.: orders 
had just been received to abandon the post, and remove the 
troops, &e., to Fort Arbuckle ; these were nearly executed, 
when the tornado occurred; so that, in the same week, it was 
abandoned by government and also by heaven, and is now a 
complete ruin. 
Being considerably in advance of the train, P——e and 
myself went to a small store to make some purchases, when 
a laughable incident occurred. 
On our way to the store, we met a man with but one leg, 
who proved to be the proprietor. 
P—-, in conversation, asked him how he lost his leg; 
he told us, and proved to be a jolly fellow. 
An article we wanted not being on hand, he directed us 
to another store near his; on going into which, what was 
our surprise to find its proprietor also minus a leg, and 
before we completed our purchase, our quondam acquaint- 
ance came in, when upon my remarking that two one-legged 
men were quite a large proportion for so small a place— 
“ Oh,” says he, “ there are two more, and three of us board 
at the same house; I shouldn’t wonder if he came in, he’s 
here a’most every night,”—and sure enough he did (strange 
