310 RETURN TO CAMP. 



beside my trophy, nervous and excited, thankful 

 that I had suffered no mauling, happy so successfully 

 to have got out of what at one time looked an ugly 

 affair, and grateful to that overlooking Providence 

 that takes the unfledged birds and parentless child- 

 ren under its protection. 



With a claw and ear of my antagonist I joined 

 my companion a couple of hours afterwards, for well T 

 knew from previous experience of the old man that, 

 although he would not be rude enough to express 

 doubts, yet, unless I had stronger proofs than words 

 to show him, he would be a disbeliever in any 

 one's prowess, more particularly an Englishman's, 

 being equal to his own. All the game I killed I 

 have failed to mention ; but such as made an im- 

 pression on my susceptibility by its gameness and 

 gallant efforts to almost successfully fight its foe, 

 have found their way into these pages. 



On my return to camp I found the canoe fit 

 again to trust to the pellucid stream, for, between a 

 portion of the old man's shirt-tail and an abundance 

 of gum and fat judiciously mixed together, the leak 

 that resulted from the rough handling our craft had 

 received in last night's tornado, had been stopped, 

 and all wounds healed. 



This night I could not sleep when first I retired 

 to rest ; the cause I could not understand, but my 

 skin felt so heated and irritated, that for the moment 

 I supposed I had contracted some complaint like 

 prickly-heat. Flesh and blood could stand the con- 



