For an hour it shone; then clouds
gathered and shut it from sight. The forest darkened, and the wind
arose with a shriek. The young trees cowered before the blast, the
strong and vigorous beat their branches together with a groaning
sound, the old and worn fell crashing to the earth. Presently the
rain rushed down, slant lines of silver tearing through the wood
with the sound of the feet of an army; hail followed, a torrent of
ice beating and bruising all tender green things to the earth. The
wind took the multitudinous sounds, - the cries of frightened birds,
the creaking trees, the snap of breaking boughs, the crash of falling
giants, the rush of the rain, the drumming of the hail, - enwound
them with itself, and made the forest like a great shell held close to
the ear.
There was no house to flee to; so long as we could face the hail we
staggered on, heads down, buffeting the wind; but at last, the fury
of the storm increasing, we were fain to throw ourselves upon the
earth, in a little brake, where an overhanging bank somewhat
broke the wind. A mighty oak, swaying and groaning above us,
might fall and crush us like eggshells; but if we went on, the like
fate might meet us in the way. Broken and withered limbs, driven
by the wind, went past us like crooked shadows; it grew darker and
darker, and the air was deadly cold.
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