ADVENTURE WITH A WILD-CAT. 113 



he was soon secured and taken home. He was once more 

 allowed to run about for a couple of years, when he grew 

 very fat, and in good condition for killing, and he was 

 slaughtered accordingly." When the story was ended, 

 we wrapped ourselves in our blankets, and slept soundly, 

 though occasionally disturbed by some thirsty souls who 

 rose to get a drink. It was lucky for those who were 

 lying in the outer rows that most of the water seekers 

 wore moccasins. 



We were up at daybreak, and prepared to build the 

 house by first making a large fire to warm our hands and 

 feet. A man with an axe stood in each corner of the 

 rising house, to cut the mortices and fit them into each 

 other, while the rest of the party raised the logs ; no 

 trifling labor, as the house was to have two stories. By 

 the evening, it was all up except the roof, when rain 

 began to fall, and the logs became too slippery to admit 

 of our standing on them ; so the completion was left till 

 dry weather. 



We remained the night at Collmar's, and departed 

 next day on our various ways, after a very frugal break- 

 fast, for we had devoured all his store. 



It was cold and foggy, and I was glad to get to 

 Hogarth's, where I passed the night, returning next day 

 to Slowtrap's. On relating the extraordinary behavior 

 of the fox, he gave one of his smiles, and told many droll 

 stories of the tricks of foxes, and one of a wild-cat, which 

 attacked a man in the marshes of the Cash. The man 

 had gone out early in the morning to shoot a turkey, and 

 hearing a cock gobbling away with all his might, he 



placed himself behind a fallen tree, and began to use his 



8 



