230 ADVENTURES IN THE WILDEENESS.^ 



and, as a contortion shook her, she recovered her- 

 self, and, rearing upward as high as the car per- 

 mitted, plunged directly at me. I was expecting 

 the movement, and dodged. Then followed exhibi- 

 tions of pain which I pray God" I may never see 

 again. Time and again did she dash herself upon 

 the floor, and roll over and over, lashing out with 

 her feet in all directions. Pausing a moment, she 

 would stretch her body to its extreme length, and, 

 lying upon her side, pound the floor with her head 

 as if it were a maul. Then, like a flash, she would 

 leap to her feet, and whirl round and round, until, 

 from very giddiness, she would stagger and fall. 

 She would lay hold of the straw with her teeth, 

 and shake it as a dog shakes a struggling wood- 

 chuck ; then dashing it from her mouth, she would 

 seize hold of her own sides, and rend herself. 

 Springing up, she would rush against the end of 

 the car, falling all in a heap from the violence of 

 the concussion. For some fifteen minutes, without 

 intermission, the frenzy lasted. I was nearly ex- 

 hausted. My eflbrts to avoid her mad rushes, the 

 terrible tension of my nervous system produced by 

 the spectacle of such exquisite and prolonged suf- 

 fering, were weakening me beyond what I should 

 have thought it possible an hour before for anything 

 to weaken me. In fact, I felt my strength leaving 

 me. A terror, such as I had never yet felt, was 

 taking possession of my mind. I sickened at the 



