AUDUBON AND BOONE. 155 
drawn onwards by some mysterious power. They even floated 
in the air for some hours after, as if supported by the thick 
mass of dust that rose high above the ground. The sky had 
now a greenish lurid hue, and an extremely disagreeable sul- 
phureous odor was diffused in the atmosphere. I waited in 
amazement, having sustained no material injury, until nature 
at length resumed her wonted aspect. For some moments, I 
felt undetermined whether I should return to Morgantown, 
or attempt to force my way through the wrecks of the tem- 
pest. My business, however, being of an urgent nature, I 
ventured into the path of the storm, and after encountering 
innumerable difficulties, succeeded in crossing it. I was 
obliged to lead my horse by the bridle, to enable him to leap 
over the fallen trees, whilst I scrambled over or under them 
in the best way I could, at times so hemmed in by the broken 
tops and tangled branclfes, as almost to become desperate. 
On arriving at my house, I gave an account of what I had 
seen, when, to my surprise, I was told that there had been 
very little wind in the neighborhood, although in the streets 
and gardens many branches and twigs had fallen in a manner 
which excited great surprise. 
Many wondrous accounts of the devastating effects of this 
hurricane were circulated in the country, after its occurrence. 
Some log houses, we were told, had been overturned, and 
their inmates destroyed. One person informed me that a 
wire-sifter had been conveyed by the gust to a distance of 
many miles. Another had found a cow lodged in the fork of 
a large half-broken tree. But, as I am disposed to relate 
only what I have myself seen, I shall not lead you into the 
region of romance, but shall content myself with saying that 
much damage was done by this awful visitation. The valley 
is yet a desolate place, overgrown with briars and bushes, 
thickly entangled amidst the tops and trunks of the fallen 
trees, and is the resort of ravenous animals, to which they 
betake themselves when pursued by man, or after they have 
