60 CRUSOE'S ISLAND. 



stead I had got a regular land pirate, a swaggering 

 swashbuckler of a fellow, full of wickedness and 

 strange words. 



Psittacus was watching mj face, and seemed to 

 take notice of every change, for he held his head over 

 to one side and actually leered at me. Disappointed 

 as I was and vexed, I could not but laugh at this 

 w^orldly-wise old bird. After all, it was not his fault 

 that he was here. If I had not so unceremoniously 

 stopped his flight that morning, when he was winging 

 his way westward in company with his mate, he 

 would now be rejoicing in his freedom, instead of sit- 

 ting here a wounded prisoner. 



It was my own fault ; no one else was to blame, 

 least of all poor Psittacus, and I resolved to do all in 

 my power to make amends for my brutal treatment 

 of him, and to endure his vagaries patiently. So in 

 this spirit I approached him, and he was quick to 

 perceive the change. He climed up my outstretched 

 arm at once and nestled up against my ear, purling to 

 himself and murmuring, " Bon comrade^ hon com- 

 radeP This cheered me, though I was rather un- 

 easy at his proximity to my face; but he had not, 

 evidently, connected me with the man who had 

 brought his troubles upon him, and appeared to have 

 made up his mind to accept both me and the new 

 conditions without further ado. 



From that time forth a spirit of camaraderie ex- 

 isted between us that nothing could impair. Instead 

 of regarding me as the author of all his woes, he 

 rather looked upon me as his great and good friend 



