It advanced from behind the mountains of Jura, and the thunder burst at once with frightful loudness from various quarters of the heavens.

I remained, while the storm lasted, watching its progress with curiosity and delight.

As I stood at the door, on a sudden I beheld a stream of fire issue from an old and beautiful oak which stood about twenty yards from our house; and so soon as the dazzling light vanished, the oak had disappeared, and nothing remained but a blasted stump.

When we visited it the next morning, we found the tree shattered in a singular manner.

It was not splintered by the shock, but entirely reduced to thin ribbons of wood.