178 THE HIVE OF THE BEE-HUNTER. 
joined; but they never presumed to be quite equal to 
Mike,—for his bodily prowess, as well as his rifle, were 
acknowledged to be unsurpassed. These displays of 
animal spirits generally ended in boxing and wrestling- 
matches, in which falls were received, and blows struck 
without being noticed, that would have destroyed com- 
mon men. 3 
Occasionally, angry words and blows were exchanged, 
but, like the summer storm, the cloud that emitted the 
lightning also purified the air; and when the commotion 
ceased, the combatants immediately made friends, and 
became more attached to each other than before the 
cause that interrupted the good feelings occurred. 
Such were the conversation and amusements of the 
evening when the boat was moored under the bluffs we 
have alluded to. 
As night wore on, one by one, the hardy boatmen 
fell asleep, some in its confined interior, and others, pro- 
tected by a light covering in the open air. 
The moon arose in beautiful majesty; her silver 
light, behind the highlands, gave them a power and 
theatrical effect as it ascended; and as its silver rays 
grew perpendicular, they kissed gently the summit of 
the hills, and poured down their full light upon the 
boat, with almost noonday brilliancy. The silence with 
which the beautiful changes of darkness and light were 
produced, made it mysterious. It seemed as if some 
creative power was at work, bringing form and life out 
of darkness. 
