206 LIFE OP AUDUBON. 



more than one occasion 'some of these gentry^ had followed 

 him, when waist-deep in the water in pursuit of a more valuable 

 prize, until in self-defence he had to spear them, fearing that 

 the ' gentleman ' might at one dart cut off his legs, or some 

 other nice bit with which he was unwilling to part. Having 

 filled our cask from a fine well, long since dug in the sand of 

 Cape Sable, either by Seminole Lidians or pirates, no matter 

 which, we left Sandy Isle about full tide, and proceeded home- 

 wards, giving a call here and there at different keys, with the 

 view of procuring rare birds, and also their nests and eggs. We 

 had twenty miles to go ' as the birds fly,' but the tortuosity of 

 the channels rendered our course fully a third longer. The sun 

 was descending fast, when a black cloud suddenly obscured the 

 majestic orb. Our sails swelled by a breeze that was scarcely 

 felt by us, and the pilot, requesting us to sit on the weather 

 gunwale, told us that we were ' going to get it.' One sail was 

 hauled in and secured, and the other was reefed, although the 

 wind had not increased. A low murmuring noise was heard, 

 and across the cloud that now rolled along in tumultuous masses 

 shot vivid flashes of lightning. Our experienced guide steered 

 directly across a flat towards the nearest land. The sailors 

 passed their quids from one cheek to the other, and our pilot 

 having covered himself with his oil jacket, we followed his 

 example. ' Blow, sweet breeze,' cried he at the tiller, ' and we'll 

 reach land before the blast overtakes us ; for, gentlemen, it is a 

 furious cloud yon.' A furious cloud indeed was the one which 

 now, like an eagle on outstretched wings, approached so swiftly, 

 that one might have deemed it in haste to destroy us. We 

 were not more than a cable's length from the shore, when with 

 imperative voice the pilot calmly said to us, ' Sit quite still, 

 gentlemen, for I should not like to lose you overboard just now ; 

 the boat can't upset, my word for that, if you will but sit still ; 

 here we have it !' Eeader, persons who have never witnessed 

 a hurricane, such as not unfrequently desolates the sultry 

 climates of the south, can scarcely form an idea of their terrific 

 grandeur. One would think that, not content with laying waste 

 all on land, it must needs sweep the waters of the shallows quite 

 dry to quench its thirst. No respite for a moment does it 

 afford to the objects within the reach of its furious current. 



