THE FATNESS OF THE EARTH. 211 



invoked the fetich of an African pagan to protect 

 my property ! 



It was with such a thrill of satisfaction, that even- 

 ing, that I settled into my old familiar seat on the 

 veranda and gazed off over the beautiful landscape ! 

 This was now the one spot on earth to me ; there 

 was none other like it, either for rest or happiness. 

 As for Thomas Ned, his face shone with delight, 

 his eyes dilated with wonder, tliat the good Lord had 

 permitted two mortals like ourselves to " slice off so 

 much ob happiness and tote it off yer inter de wil'er- 

 ness all toe ourselfs." 



You see, it didn't take much to satisfy us ; or, in 

 other words, we knew what we wanted, and were 

 content when we had secured it. Or, to quote once 

 more the philosophical Crusoe : " In a Word, the 

 nature and experience of Things dictated to me, 

 upon just Eeflection, that all the good Things of this 

 World are no farther good to us than that they are 

 for our use ; and that whatever we may heap up to 

 give others, we enjoy just as much as we can use, 

 and no more ! " 



Thomas IS'ed surpassed himself, at the second day's 

 dinner. He confessed to me that he had been all the 

 night before engaged in scouring the forest after a 

 certain delicacy which he thought it contained and 

 that I would like. What it was he would not say, 

 but his wan appearance in the morning indicated that 

 he had passed a night in the woods. After he had 

 eerved the soup that afternoon at dinner, he brought 

 in a covered dish from the kitchen which evidently 



