196 CRUSOES ISLAND. 



from care, and his loyalty to me and belief in my in- 

 fallibility kept him from more than raising a shadow 

 of objection. He was certain that an absence from 

 our home would work disaster to our schemes, by 

 directing upon us an irruption of the inhabitants of 

 the other section, who would annoy us in many ways 

 and finally compel us to abandon the place. 



I entertained every reason for delay and carefully 

 weighed all objections ; but finally, about midsum- 

 mer, after the rains had spent their force, I concluded 

 to set out on the journey of exploration. It was not 

 as if we were going into an unknown region, for 

 Thomas Ned knew every foot of the way, and our 

 perturbation over the possible consequences of such a 

 small undertaking may cause a smile on the face of 

 the reader. 



But it is ever thus : when a man narrows his 

 horizon and secludes himself from his fellow-men, he 

 is thrown in upon himself, his thoughts dwell upon 

 the little things of life, rather than upon the greater 

 works of human hands. It was in the correction of 

 this tendency, which I had latterly noted in myself 

 with alarm, that I felt the journey would be beneficial. 



Well, after everything had been arranged, the 

 captive agoutis and other animals set free, and Polly 

 Psitticus had been informed that he was to keep a 

 general oversight of the premises, we set out, one fine 

 morning in July. It was agreed that we would not 

 go direct to the coast, but avoid the negro villages 

 and make for the plantation upon which Thomas Ned 

 had passed his early years. As it was now in posses- 



