178 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



pale and dim, and more than once threatened to 

 go out. 



" Yes, yes," muttered our guide to himself, " a 

 night passed in this swamp would leave a man ague- 

 struck for the rest of his days. A night ay, an 

 hour would do it, if your pores were ever so little 

 open ; but now there's no danger : the prairie fire's 

 good for that, dries the sweat and closes the pores." 



He went on conversing thus with himself, but still 

 striding forward, throwing his torchlight on each log 

 or tree-trunk, and trying its solidity 'with his foot 

 before he trusted his weight upon it, doing all this 

 with a dexterity and speed that proved his familiarity 

 with these dangerous paths. 



"Keep close to me," said he to us, "but make 

 yourselves light as light at least as Britishers can 



make themselves. Hold your breath, and ha ! 



what is that log 1 ? Holloa, Nathan," continued he to 

 himself, " what's come to you, man ? Don't you know 

 a sixteen foot alligator from a tree 1 " 



He had stretched out his foot, but fortunately, 

 before setting it down, he poked what he took for a 

 log with the butt of his gun. The supposed block 

 of wood gave way a little, and the old squatter, 

 throwing himself back, was within an ace of pushing 

 me into the swamp. 



" Ah, friend ! " said he, not in the least discon- 

 certed, " you thought to sarcumvent honest folk with 

 your devilry and cunning." 



