I found _this_"--kicking a great redwood, seven feet in
diameter, that lay there on its side, hollow heart, clinging lumps of
bark, all changed into grey stone, with veins of quartz between what had
been the layers of the wood.

"Were you surprised?"

"Surprised? No! What would I be surprised about? What did I know about
petrifactions--following the sea? Petrifaction! There was no such word
in my language! I knew about putrefaction, though! I thought it was a
stone; so would you, if you was cleaning up pasture."

And now he had a theory of his own, which I did not quite grasp, except
that the trees had not "grewed" there. But he mentioned, with evident
pride, that he differed from all the scientific people who had visited
the spot; and he flung about such words as "tufa" and "silica" with
careless freedom.

When I mentioned I was from Scotland, "My old country," he said; "my old
country"--with a smiling look and a tone of real affection in his voice.
I was mightily surprised, for he was obviously Scandinavian, and begged
him to explain. It seemed he had learned his English and done nearly
all his sailing in Scottish ships. "Out of Glasgow," said he, "or
Greenock; but that's all the same--they all hail from Glasgow." And he
was so pleased with me for being a Scotsman, and his adopted compatriot,
that he made me a present of a very beautiful piece of petrifaction--I
believe the most beautiful and portable he had.

Here was a man, at least, who was a Swede, a Scot, and an American,
acknowledging some kind allegiance to three lands. Mr. Wallace's
Scoto-Circassian will not fail to come before the reader. I have myself
met and spoken with a Fifeshire German, whose combination of abominable
accents struck me dumb. But, indeed, I think we all belong to many
countries. And perhaps this habit of much travel, and the engendering of
scattered friendships, may prepare the euthanasia of ancient nations.

And the forest itself? Well, on a tangled, briery hillside--for the
pasture would bear a little further cleaning up, to my eyes--there lie
scattered thickly various lengths of petrified trunk, such as the one
already mentioned. It is very curious, of course, and ancient enough, if
that were all. Doubtless, the heart of the geologist beats quicker at
the sight; but, for my part, I was mightily unmoved. Sight-seeing is the
art of disappointment.

"There's nothing under heaven so blue,
That's fairl