64 A VIOLIN SOLO. 



gotten his violin, which had saved his life in the middle 

 of the forest. Seizing his bow with a firm hand, he drew 

 from the instrument a strident discord which rose above 

 the deafening howls of the cayeutes, and silenced them as 

 if by enchantment. And the silence for awhile con- 

 tinued, except when interrupted by the frantic sounds 

 awakened from the violin by the old negro's agitated 

 fingers. 



This inharmonious medley could not long satisfy the 

 famished carnivora, and from their renewed efforts to 

 reach their prey, Dick understood that music hath not 

 always charms to soothe the savage breast ; they rushed 

 more furiously than ever against the wall, and began to 

 scale it. He thought himself lost, especially when at a 

 couple of feet from his tremulous legs he discovered the 

 enormous head of a cayeute, whose great eyes seemed to 

 cast forth fire and flame. 



" Heaven help me ! " he cried, " or I am an eaten 

 man. 



And without even knowing what he did, he let his agi- 

 tated fingers wander over the strings with a nervous, un- 

 conscious movement. He began to play the famous 

 national air of Yankee Doodle ; it was the swan chanting 

 his requiem in the hour of death. 



But suddenly oh, miracle of harmony! tranquillity 

 prevailed around the negro musician. Orpheus was not 

 a myth ; the animals obeyed the new enchantment, and 

 when Dick, recovering from his terror, was able to com- 

 prehend what passed around him, he perceived that his 

 auditors were a hundred times more attentive to the 

 charms of music than those who were accustomed to laud 

 his skill as an executant. This was so true, that the 



