4Q 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE. 



tive enough to catch their delicate peal- 

 ing, but I felt that the music must be 

 there. 



They were animals, too ; I knew that 

 by my previous observation. They 

 were familiar to me and to other micro- 

 scopists as exceedingly common inhab- 

 itants of every ditch and shallow pool 

 in the land. They were the "Collared 

 Monads'' among the fresh-water infuso- 

 ria. I was still listening, rapt, when 

 those horrible stridors broke out afresh, 

 and the youthful savages drowned that 

 delicate music with raucous cries. Then 

 one became articulate. 



"I say, fellows, let's lug 'em further 

 down, under the grape vines, and get 

 a fair start where there's plenty of 

 water." 



Boys they surely were. They could 

 speak my language ! 



"It's a go ; and the last one in camp 

 is going to be the cook." 



With a fiendish shriek that split the air, 

 and made the leaves quiver, they tossed 

 their canoes into the water, and leapt 

 into them. With knees drawn up, and 

 in threatening attitudes with arms and 

 paddles, they prepared for a dash across 

 the stream. They appeared to be boys 

 of the human species, but I failed to 

 understand why it was necessary to be 

 so violent, so painfully active, and to 

 make such grimaces. Look at them in 

 the picture, which my camera caught 

 unsuspected by them, and you will no 

 longer wonder at my amazement. If 

 they had been quadrupeds, or micro- 

 scopic creatures in the mud, I should 

 have appreciated the situation, but these 

 appearances were mysteries. Yet they 

 all are possibly a part of the undevel- 

 oped animal nature in such young sav- 

 ages. As they paddled down the stream, 

 they unintentionally formed another 

 beautiful picture. The light was spark- 

 ling" on the waves, and touching the 

 leaves with a golden gleam, while the 

 spray from the paddles flashed rain- 

 bows. I made a movement to descend 

 from my dendron, yet refrained, as I 

 was not entirely satisfied that it would be 

 safe. I had had sad experiences with 

 animals before this, and had suffered 

 from too much confidence. I would 



wait. And 1 did not care to disarrange 

 the scene. 



Suddenly a cry of pain came from the 

 upper stream, and suggestive gurgling 

 and bubbling preceded a silence that 

 brought the paddles to a quick rest, 

 with many gutteral noises, and a swirl 

 of water. 



"I believe that gone gump has run 

 on a rock, and tumbled over-board again, 

 as usual. Quick, fellows ! get back, and 

 help him out !" 



I will not repeat their words as they 

 turned their canoes and paddled toward 

 the starting" point, and neither will I 

 mention those used at the destination. 

 I do not find them in my dictionary. I 

 doubt if they are known among civilized 

 adults of the human species. 



"Now," I heard, as the unhappy fel- 

 low was seized by the seat of his trous- 

 ers with a shake, and slapped down on 

 the bank, "Now, stay there, and dry 

 off, and serve you right ! How many 

 times have we pulled you out this trip? 

 Get in again, and you stav in. Mind 

 that." 



It was a camping party, I was now 

 sure, for behind the unfortunate little 

 chap, was a small canvas screen, that 

 certainly concealed a sleeping" place, and 

 before which he stood and dripped and 

 where, while he was not entirely happy, 

 he was not absolutely disconsolate. I 

 imagined that canoeing was not "all 

 cakes and ale" to his young nerves and 

 sinews, but that there was perhaps a 

 sting somewhere in the boat. 



There will be no rapids for you to- 

 day, Jimmie ; and see that you cook a 

 good supper by the time we get back. 

 Say, do you hear? Say, Jimmie, pony 

 up now! Say, s-a-a-a-y, J-i-m ! Over- 

 board three times in three days. O-o-o-h, 

 )im! Ya, va, hi, hi, hoch, hoouch, hi, 

 Jim!" 



Savages without doubt, and "rubbing- 

 it into" poor jimmie. None but sav- 

 ages would thus treat a companion. I 

 felt that they might be cannibals, too, 

 and would eat poor Jimmie if the meal 

 that he must prepare were not satisfac- 

 tory. 



They were off like a flash, while I 

 peered from my leafy dendron, and 

 rather hoped that Jimmie would not be 

 the only one overboard when the rapids 

 appeared. But around the curve they 



