KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



101 



linked to the mansion — the dignity of labor to 

 the dignity of rank ! 



Our return home found us musing on " Lincoln- 

 shire as we saw it." Not indeed as bogs and fens, 

 nor even as cultivated fields and pastures ; nor 

 even as a country abounding with natural beauties 

 alone. Something more than these is to be found ; 

 and the poet must have his nature imbued with 

 more than a feeling for the pastoral, to portray 

 " Lincolnshire as it now is." j^ g 



Rippingale, Feb. 20. 

 AUTO-BIOGRAPHY OF A DOG —NO. X. 



WRITTEN BY HIMSELF. 



{Continued from page 34.) 



In my country, Mr. Editor, it is generally 

 during the month of August that the most violent 

 storms occur. Frequently, and in an incredibly 

 short space of time, they blight all the hopes of the 

 poor gardener, and totally ruin the unfortunate 

 " vigneron ;" the former depending for his very 

 existence on the produce of his garden, and the 

 latter on the " vendange." The latter, however, 

 is in a much worse position than the former, 

 whenever one of these desolating storms happens ; 

 inasmuch as all the returns for the whole twelve- 

 month's labor (just now within his grasp) are 

 totally destroyed. 



The mischief done by the breaking up of roads, 

 knocking down of walls, rooting up of trees, the 

 loss of life, both to man and dog. is perfectly fear- 

 ful. Even the recollection of the storm I am now 

 going to endeavor to describe, makes me tremble 

 and shudder all over. It was the most destruc- 

 tive I ever witnessed. May I never witness such 

 another ! It was about the middle of August, 

 1846. For several days previous, there had been 

 that tremendous burning heat, that overpower- 

 ing, oppressive heat, which quite knocks a dog 

 down, as well as a man ; scarcely a gleam of sun- 

 shine ; but a murky, heavy vapor was gradually 

 increasing in intensity between " Morges" and 

 " Ouchy." My old master, and his family, (in- 

 cluding myself, of course, Mr. Editor,) got a little 

 invigorated by disporting our pretty persons for 

 the best part of an hour in " Leman's" refreshing 

 waters. Cool, I could not call them ; for even 

 they were tolerably warm ! Still, our morning 

 bath used to brace us up for the remainder of 

 the day. 



On the morning of the storm, it was evident 

 that something out of the usual way was coming. 

 The air seemed impregnated with a peculiar 

 smell, and the heat was so intense that there was 

 no standing it, or even swimming it ; and I and 

 my brother lay panting under the shade of a large 

 laurel bush. Bombyx, lightened of his coat, 

 seated himself under a fine sycamore, puffing his 

 cigar, and watching — first the " Dent d'Oche," 

 then the " Jura." The other branches of the 

 family were some of them watching the down 

 " steamer ; " others the gulls. The " Dent 

 d'Oche" looked good-tempered enough, but the 

 " Jura" frowned tremendously, and the darkness 

 increased rapidly. About three o'clock the lake 

 began to be agitated, and the beautiful " Moutons" 

 appeared everywhere on its surface. 



Shortly afterwards there was a cry of " Le 

 lac brasse !" by the old gardener, a weather- 

 beaten, honest, old man, by name " Louis." Pre- 

 sently, again comes Louis ; "Le lac brasse pro- 

 digeusement ! de ma vie, je n'ai jamais vu le 

 pareil. I fear we shall have a very bad night 

 of it." 



At about six o'clock the waves of the Lake 

 were perfectly furious ; lashing against the walls 

 and the shore in a most alarming manner. It 

 seemed as if old Father Ocean, in one of his rages, 

 had paid a visit to " Leman's" generally gentle 

 waters. The roar of the waves was perfectly ter- 

 rific, and the steamer from "Geneva" had the 

 good sense to stop at "Morges." Now a few 

 drops of rain fell ; and occasionally a flash of 

 lightning made a jump from the "Jura" which 

 was quickly responded to from behind " les 

 voirons." Again the "Jura" discharged, and was 

 answered instanter by the " Mole," followed by a 

 volley from the " Roche d'Enfer," which was per- 

 fectly awful. At 8 o'clock, everything except the 

 lake was more quiet. "Well ; all was closed, and 

 old Louis went around to see every thing right 

 and tight, observing, "Ma foi! Je n'aime pas 

 trop le lac ce soir." 



Bombyx had finished his supper, and some of 

 the youngest girls had gone to r^ost, when precisely 

 at twenty minutes past nine o'clock began a 

 scene 60 terrific, so fearfully majestic, so over- 

 powering, I scarcely knew what I did. Both my- 

 self and my brother were running up and down 

 stairs from the kitchen to the drawing-room, 

 howling like mad. I half thought nothing would 

 save us from destruction. Precisely at the time 

 I have mentioned, a most awful clap of thunder 

 was heard. It was just as if a " Piece de douze" 

 bad been discharged in the next room. Every 

 one sprang up. half frightened. The door was 

 opened, but nothing seen. The next minute, a 

 flash of the most vivid lightning crossed the 

 window-shutter. Instantaneously, another simi- 

 larly alarming clap of thunder. This was followed 

 by another and another, in awful rapidity. We 

 scarcely knew which way to move. The little 

 girls were brought out of bed ; and dressed, to be 

 ready, in case of fire, to escape. In a few minutes 

 we ventured to peep out. The rain — (no, I 

 really cannot call it rain, Mr. Editor, it was more 

 like a river of liquid fire) — was descendng like an 

 avalanche, so fearfully were the rain and light- 

 ning mixed ! The smallest leaf also was visible 

 at a very considerable distance. 



At this time, too, the screaming of birds, the 

 moaning of cattle, and the howling of less for- 

 tunate dogs than myself, who happened to be 

 chained up, added painfully and pitiably to 

 the scene ; and, mingled with the roaring of the 

 lake, the rolling of the thunder, and the 

 hissing of the lightning, were most distressingly 

 dreadful. In another few minutes a mighty 

 rushing wind, blowing in wild confusion from 

 every quarter at once, increased the hideous- 

 ness of the moment. Presently a sound was 

 heard as of the falling of large stones ; and on 

 looking out to ascertain what this could be, hail- 

 stones (the greater part as large as a hen'6 egg), 

 were bounding about in every direction, form- 

 ing a " melange" which only those who have 

 witnessed it can conceive. 



