MORE WONDERFUL THAN EVER. 189 



A fortnight later an unfortunate rencontre ! among 

 the passengers of the Red Rover steamer, which was 

 ascending the Mississippi as far as St. Louis, I found my 

 Texan adventurer. A numerous group of Kentuckians 

 surrounded him, and lent a willing ear to his hunting 

 narratives. I did as they did ; but the reader may con- 

 ceive my astonishment, nay, my stupefaction, when I 

 heard our raconteur's well-known romance undergo a third 

 and still more wonderful transformation. 



" One hour, two hours, three hours passed ; no help 

 arrived ; and I felt that my strength was failing. I 

 should have essayed to kill all the peccaries ; but unfor- 

 tunately, in order to climb the tree, I had flung my rifle 

 on the ground. What should I do 1 I was on the point 

 of abandoning myself to despair, of leaping into the midst 

 of my besiegers, and making a hopeless sortie, when my 

 friend suddenly appeared upon the scene. As soon as 

 he saw my terrible position, he, without giving a thought 

 to the risk he ran, took aim at the largest peccary, fired, 

 and killed him. Immediately the whole herd turned 

 upon him, growling frightfully. The instinct of self- 

 preservation led my friend to imitate my example, and 

 clamber up the nearest tree. Then I descended, while 

 the peccaries raged at the foot of the tree where my 

 friend was posted. I seized my gun, reloaded it, and 

 sent a ball through the head of one of the animals. They 

 straightway rushed upon me ; but, nimble as a squirrel, 

 I regained my branch. My friend descended in his turn, 

 regained his rifle, advanced within range, killed one of our 

 adversaries, and rapidly remounted into his tree. 



" Then I redescended ; reloaded ; shot another peccary ; 

 was again pursued ; but again made good my retreat, 



