He then realized that not one of the animals was
moving, and the trees were as still as statues.
Jim took out his big hunting knife and slashed at
a tree trunk. A cascade of sparks flew in every
direction. He took a closer look at the tree. "Why,
this tree is petrified!" Jim exclaimed to himself.
Petrified means something turned to stone.
Jim scratched his head some
more. He realized that the trees,
animals, and even the ground
were petrified. Petrified birds
were suspended in the sky as if
they were flying, but they were
as still as could be.
After more head
scratching, Jim realized
that he wasn't going
to find any dinner in a
petrified forest. He got
back on his horse and
rode on, chewing on his
other moccasin.
Check In How do these tall tales include actual features of Yellowstone's natural environment?
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