“Smooth water now,” said he, thoughtfully, “Seems terrible still.  Hain’t a breath uv air stirrin’.  Jerushy Jane Pepper!  Wha’ does thet mean?”

He stepped aside quickly as some bits of bark and a small bough of hemlock fell at our feet.  Then a shower of pine needles came slowly down, scattering over us and hitting the timber with a faint hiss.  Before we could look up, a dry stick as long as a log fell rattling on the platform.

“Never see no sech dom’s afore,” said D’ri, looking upward.  “Things don’t seem t’ me t’ be actin’ eggzac’ly nat’ral—­nut jest es I ‘d like t’ see ’em.”

As the light came clearer, we saw clouds heaped black and blue over the tree-tops in the southwest.  We stood a moment looking.  The clouds were heaping higher, pulsing with light, roaring with thunder.  What seemed to be a flock of pigeons rose suddenly above the far forest, and then fell as if they had all been shot.  A gust of wind coasted down the still ether, fluttering like a rag and shaking out a few drops of rain.

“Look there!” I shouted, pointing aloft.

“Hark!” said D’ri, sharply, raising his hand of three fingers.

We could hear a far sound like that of a great wagon rumbling on a stony road.

“The Almighty ‘s whippin’ his hosses,” said D’ri.  “Looks es ef he wus plungin’ ’em through the woods ‘way yender.  Look a’ thet air sky.”

The cloud-masses were looming rapidly.  They had a glow like that of copper.

“Tryin’ t’ put a ruf on the world,” my companion shouted.  “Swingin’ ther hammers hard on the rivets.”

A little peak of green vapor showed above the sky-line.  It loomed high as we looked.  It grew into a lofty column, reeling far above the forest.  Below it we could see a mighty heaving in the tree-tops.  Something like an immense bird was hurtling and pirouetting in the air above them.  The tower of green looked now like a great flaring bucket hooped with fire and overflowing with darkness.  Our ears were full of a mighty voice out of the heavens.  A wind came roaring down some tideway of the air like water in a flume.  It seemed to tap the sky.  Before I could gather my thoughts we were in a torrent of rushing air, and the raft had begun to heave and toss.  I felt D’ri take my hand in his.  I could just see his face, for the morning had turned dark suddenly.  His lips were moving, but I could hear nothing he said.  Then he lay flat, pulling me down.  Above and around were all the noises that ever came to the ear of man—­the beating of drums, the bellowing of cattle, the crash of falling trees, the shriek of women, the rattle of machinery, the roar of waters, the crack of rifles, the blowing of trumpets, the braying of asses, and sounds the like of which I have never heard and pray God I may not hear again, one and then another dominating the mighty chorus.  Behind us, in the gloom, I could see, or thought I could see, the reeling mass of green