L3^ LIFE OF AUDUBON. 



CHAPTEE XXIX. 



America — Pbiends in New Yobk — Two Episodes: the Gbeat Egg 

 Hakboue and the Gbeat Pinb Swamp. 



"The cry of 'land, land, land!' thrice repeated, roused me 

 from my torpor, and acted like champagne to refresh my 

 spirits. I rushed on deck, and saw in the distance a deep gray 

 line, like a wall along the horizon, and toward which the ship 

 was rolling and cutting her way. My heart swelled with joy, 

 and aU seemed like a pleasant dream at first ; but as soon as the 

 reality was fairly impressed on my mind, tears of joy rolled 

 down my cheeks. I clasped my hands, and fell on my knees, 

 and raising my eyes to heaven — ^that happy land above — I 

 offered my thanks to our God, that He had preserved and 

 prospered me in my long absence, and once more permitted me 

 to approach these shores so dear to me, and which holds my 

 heart's best earthly treasures. 



" May 5. New York. I have brought thee, my English book, 

 all the way across the Atlantic, too sea-sick to hold any con- 

 verse with thee — sea-sick all the way, until the morning when 

 I saw my dear native land. But no matter, I have safely 

 landed. We left England with one hundred and fifty souls, 

 and put them all ashore at New York, except one poor black 

 fellow, who thought proper to put an end to his existence by 

 jumping overboard one dark night. A Mr. Benjamin Smith 

 subscribed to my work on the passage. He had his family, 

 eight servants, five dogs, and cloth and twine enough to fly 

 kites the world over — an excellent and benevolent man. 



