TACKALYOUCANGET, OR THE BIG THIEF. 211 



back duck, for which I had always heard that America 

 was so famous, and I am perfectly convinced that there is 

 a great mistake in claiming the- superiority for the larger 

 bird ; the blue-winged teal is infinitely the best water 

 fowl I ever tasted in the whole course of my life. 



Being so near the waggons I took my birds home, and 

 then went up the river after the other teal. While in this 

 pursuit, I came on a solitary cabin, situated so that the 

 river and its steep bank protected it on one side, while on 

 the other three there were rails infinitely stronger and 

 more compact than were needed simply to fence in cat 

 tle. The place at once showed me that whoever built 

 that " fixing " had defence from Indians in his mind, as 

 well as the mere confinement of his beasts. Not being 

 able to find the other teal, and it being intensely hot, in 

 addition to my being beset by a very feverish sensation, 

 I was returning home, when, wishing to get into the 

 shallow stream to walk along it in my waterproof snake- 

 boots, instead of having to force rny way through cover, 

 I went down the steep bank with a rush, and as I broke 

 through the screen of wild vines and other creepers with 

 a dash into the water, I most unexpectedly and abruptly 

 almost ran against a tall, powerful Indian. He was ap 

 parently cooling his large, muscular, and shining-brown 

 legs and thighs in the shallow water. As I thus came sud 

 denly upon him, he was with his hands holding up his 

 " breech clout " as high as he could to keep it dry, but, 

 letting it go, he drew himself up to his full height when 

 he saw me. He was the finest man of the Indian tribes 

 that I had yet seen or thereafter saw, but a more ill- 

 looking, ferocious scowl of surprise than he bestowed 

 on me never disfigured even the face of a savage. We 

 stared at each other for some moments, my opinion being 



