6 2 Mr. Brydone*s Account of 
a flu ring them the ftorm was at fo great a diftance, that there 
could be no fort of danger ; when we were fuddenly alarmed 
by a loud report, for which we were not prepared by any pre- 
ceding fiafh : it refembled the firing of feveral mufkets, fo 
clofe together, that the ear could hardly feparate the founds ; 
and was followed by no rumbling noife like the other claps. 
The clouds immediately began to diflipate, and there were 
no more appearance of either thunder or lightning. I had 
ordered my horfes to be got ready, and was juft going to 
mount, when a fervant came running in to tell me, that a man 
and two horfes had been ftruck dead by the thunder, at a final l 
diftance from the houfe. I immediately fet out, and arrived 
on the fpot in lefs than half an hour after the accident. The 
horfes were ftill yoked to the cart, and lying in the fame peti- 
tion in which they had been ftruck down ; but the body of the 
young man had been already carried oft by his companion, 
who foon returned to the place ; and, with lefs agitation than 
I expected, deferibed to me how every thing had palled. 
They were both fervants to Mr, Turnbull, a tenant of 
the Earl of Home, and were returning home with two carts 
loaded with coals. James Lauder, a ftrong young man, of 
twenty- four years of age, had the charge of the firft cart, and 
was fitting on the fore-part of it. They had crofted the 
Tweed a few minutes before, at a deep ford, and had almoft 
gained the higheft part of an alcent, about 6 $ or 70 feet above 
the bed of the river. They were converting about the thunder, 
which they heard at a diftance, and exprefting a with that it 
might be accompanied by a fall of rain, as the only means of 
faving the crop, after fo long and fo fevere drought. At that 
inftant he was ftunned by a loud report, and faw his compa- 
nion, his horfes and cart, fall to the ground. He immediately 
1 
ran 
