EFFECTS OF A FRESHET. 349 



Audubon and his party crossed the Alleghany Mountains to 

 Wheeling, went from there to Cincinnati and St. Louis by 

 steamers, where they arrived on the 28th of March. From 

 thence they ascended the Missouri Eiver to Jefferson city, the 

 capital of the State, about one hundred and seventy miles from 

 St. Louis. There they saw nothing worthy of note except the 

 State House and Penitentiary. 



The town was a poor-looking place, and the neighbouring 

 country poor and broken ; but the public buildings commanded 

 a fine view up and down the river. " Yesterday," says the 

 Journal, " we passed many long lines of elevated banks, orna- 

 mented by stupendous rocks of limestone, having many curious 

 holes, into which we saw vultures and eagles enter towards 

 evening. 



"As we ascended the river the strength of the current 

 increased, and in some places we stemmed it with difficulty ; 

 and near Willow Islands it ran so rapidly, that we found our- 

 selves going down stream, and were compelled to make fast to 

 the shore. 



"March 30. As we sail along the shores, I notice young 

 willows and cotton-trees half submerged by the freshet, waving 

 to and fro, as if trembling at the rage of the rushing water, and 

 in fear of being destroyed by it ; and it really seemed as if the 

 mighty current was going to overwhelm in its rage all that the 

 Creator had lavished on its luxuriant shore. The banks are 

 falling in and taking thousands of trees, and the current is 

 bearing them away from the places where they have stood and 

 grown for ages. It is an awful exemplification of the course of 

 Nature, where aU is conflict between life and death. 



" March 31. As we sail up the river, squatters and planters 

 are seen abandoning their dwellings, which the water is over- 

 flowing, and making towards the highlands, that are from one 

 to four miles inland. We passed two houses filled with women 

 and children, entirely surrounded by water ; the whole place 

 was under water, and all around was a picture of utter desola- 

 tion. The men had gone to seek assistance, and I was grieved 

 that our captain did not offer to render them any ; the banks 

 kept on falling in, and precipitating majestic trees into the 

 devouring current. 



