A FRIEND IN NEED 



73 



He purposely missed, though he felt some doubt aoout the wisdom of such 

 leniency toward those who knew nothing of what mercy meant; but the Texan was 

 not of a cruel disposition, and he wished to injure no one, unless it was clearly his 

 duty to do so. Whether he would have been attacked again, had he stayed where 

 he was, can only be conjectured, but he saw nothing more of the natives, and lost 

 no time in leaving the spot where he had witnessed such a stirring scene. 



He had solved the question more promptly than he had anticipated on leaving 

 camp, and was hopeful of rejoining his friends before night closed in. So he 

 picked his way as fast as he could through the jungle, returning over his own trail, 

 which was marked so plainly that it was no trouble to follow it 



A FRIEND IN NKKD. 



The walk was not long to the tree in which the secretary-bird had its nest He 

 approached with much caution, for he was hopeful of finding the mother absent, 

 and, if such should prove the case, he meant to visit her home. 



It was a difficult question to settle, for, if the bird was on guard, it would be 

 dangerous to disturb her. The hunter would be at much disadvantage while climb- 

 ing the tree, and, in case the mother attacked (as she was sure to do if she detected 

 him), he would have to shoot her in self-defense. 



He did not wish to do that; so, after looking upward awhile, without seeing any- 

 thing of the bird, he announced his presence by swinging his sombrero and calling 

 to her. Since she remained invisible, he broke off a piece ot rotten limb and flung 

 it aloft, coming quite close to the nest, though branches of the tree prevented an 

 accurate aim. Still the parent bird made no sign. 



