134 WILD SPORTS IN THE FAR WEST. 



from the marsh. lie had been three days and three 

 nights coming the ten miles, and even now it is a riddle 

 to me how he managed it. 



On the evening of the 2Gth of May, after a rich feast 

 on the quantities of blackberries which grew by the 

 way, we came to a house belonging to a man of the 

 name of Saint, and decided on staying there to sleep ; 

 we found a better set of people than we had expected, 

 and engaged in a long conversation with our host. 

 After .supper, to our no small horror we learnt that 

 unless we could swim twenty-eight miles, further pro- 

 gress was not to be thought of, as the whole swamp 

 between this and AVhite river was under water. Vld 

 and I looked at each other, with long faces, as much 

 as to say, " quid iaciamus nos ; " but Saint was good 

 enough to invite us to stay with him till the swamp 

 had somewhat dried up, which at least would be about 

 the middle of July; meantime we could go out shoot- 

 ing, and the game we brought home would well repay 

 him for all our expenses. 



This, of course, was grist to our mill, and we soon 

 made ourselves at home. On the following morning, 

 almost before we were settled, we went to the forest 

 with our host, a keen sportsman, to look for bears, 

 taking seven dogs with us. And what a country he 

 took us to! Swamps and thorns, creepers, wild vines, 

 fallen trees, half or entirely rotted, deep and muddy 

 water-courses, bushes so thick that you could hardly 

 stick a knife, into them, and, to complete the enjoyment, 

 clouds of mosquitoes and gnats, not to mention snakes 

 lying about on the edges of the water-courses ; such is 

 the aboriginal American forest, and in such a scene wo 

 commenced our sport. 



