58 AUDUBON THE NATURALIST. 
of heavy rain, while they drenched the travellers, 
rendered their pathway a very morass. The 
withered leaves and bark of the canes stuck to 
their clothes as they plunged through, while 
briers and nettles penetrated still further. ‘l'o 
De Thouville’s repeated inquiry, whether they 
should ever emerge alive out of so horrible a 
situation, Audubon returned exhortations and 
admonitions to patience and courage. Tumbling 
and crawling, the memorable march was con- 
tinued by the poor naturalist, who, once well out 
of the maze, emptying his pockets of fungi, 
lichens, and moss, never again expressed a desire , 
to enter it. 
One evening, he was missed from the circle at 
Henderson. Grasses and possessions were no. 
longer in his room, Whether he had been 
drowned in a swamp or devoured by a bear, was 
matter of conjecture, till a letter, some time after, 
assured Audubon that this eccentric naturalist 
still existed. 
