64 LIFE OP AUDUBON. 



Louisiana. The duties accepted by Audubon were apparently 

 simple enough. He was to teach Mrs. Perrie's daughter draw- 

 ing during the summer months, at sixty dollars per month. 

 His lessons would absorb one half of the day, and with a young 

 friend. Mason, he was to have the rest of his time Iree for 

 hunting. Board and lodging were provided for the two friends, 

 and Mrs. Perrie's aim appears to have been to provide an 

 opportunity for Audubon to carry on his pursuits under the 

 guise of an employment which would be congenial, and not 

 interfere with his work. 



" We arrived at the landing at the mouth of the bayou on 

 a hot sultry day, bid adieu to our fellow-passengers, climbed 

 the hill at St. Francisville, and rested a few minutes at the 

 house of Mr. Swift. Dinner was nearly ready, and we were 

 invited to partake, but I had no heart for it. I wished myself 

 on board the Columbus ; I wished for my beloved Lucy and 

 my dear boys. I felt that I should be awkward at the table ; 

 and a good opportunity having offered me to go to Mr. Perrie's, 

 we walked slowly on, guided by some of the servants, who had 

 been sent, when the family heard of our coming, to bring our 

 luggage, which they found light. 



"The aspect of the country was entirely new to me, and 

 distracted my mind from those objects which are the occupation 

 of my life. The rich magnolias covered with fragrant blossoms, 

 the holly, the beech, the tall yellow poplar, the hilly ground, 

 and even the red clay, all excited my admiration. Such an 

 entire change in the face of nature in so short a time seems 

 almost supernatural ; and surrounded once more by numberless 

 warblers and thrushes, I enjoyed the scene. The five miles we 

 walked appeared short, and we arrived and met Mr. Perrie at 

 his house. Anxious to know him, I examined his features by 

 Lavater's directions. We were received kindly. 



" August 11. We were awakened last night by a servant 

 requesting me to accompany Mrs. Perrie to the house of a dying 

 neighbour, about a mile distant. We went, but arrived too late, 

 for the man was dead, and I had the pleasure of keeping his 

 body company the remainder of the night. On such occasions 

 time flies very slowly, so much so, that it looked as if it stood 

 still, like the hawk that poises in the air over his prey. The 



