LIGHTNING AND THUNDER 123 



It was rapped three times in a single season and 

 twice during one storm. And it is likely that it 

 was hit a number of times during its earlier years. 

 A scar nearly a century old just above the roots of 

 the tree showed that one lightning stroke had burst 

 out a chunk of wood several feet long. None of 

 these strokes did serious damage. Many trees 

 appear to be good conductors and rarely is one 

 killed. This pine when finally killed by beetles 

 was probably more than three hundred years old. 

 Another pine, less than twenty-five feet from this 

 one and nearly as large, was struck three times 

 while its neighbour received fourteen strokes. 



I have dissected trees in various parts of the 

 country and occasionally found one which bore un- 

 mistakable evidences of having been struck a num- 

 ber of times. John Muir told me that the head 

 of a sequoia tree is sometimes struck repeatedly. 

 He had seen living trees struck and [had examined 

 the lightning-scarred tops of fallen dead ones. 



It is a common belief that lightning does not 

 strike twice in the same place, but a coloured man 

 was convinced by appearances. 



" Dat tree has been struck three times by light- 

 nin', boss," said Sam. 



" Impossible, Sam. Lightning never strikes twice 

 in the same place, you know." 



"Well, say, boss, the thing what struck it yester- 

 day bears a strikin' 'semblance to what struck it 

 before." 



