CHAPTEE VI 



A PEDLER WITH A FACE LIKE A BIRD 



Audubon was on the verge of manhood. 



This was the happy period of his life. The sowing 

 in the springtime and the joy of anticipation are inspir- 

 ing. He was fulfilling the divine law within him. He 

 knew not that any other man in America had a purpose 

 like this. 



But there was one. His introduction to Audubon was 

 in this singular manner: 



Audubon, after studying the birds of the Pennsylvania 

 woods, went from the regions of the Schuylkill to Louis- 

 ville, Ky., then a pioneer town. Here one day a strange 

 face appeared to him — a man with a face like a bird. 



This man had a long, hooked nose, keen and restless 

 eyes, high cheek-bones, and a singularly beak-like visage. 

 One might think that his face was a birthmark. 



He came out of the woods as from an eagle's nest. He 

 said to Audubon: 



" I have a work that I wish to show you. I hear that 



you are interested in birds." 



" Do you take an interest in birds? " asked Audubon. 



39 



