SOUTH AMERICA. 17,3 



to escape before we landed. As soon as we T " 1RU 



JOURNEY. 



got up to him he threw himself upon his back, - 

 and defended himself in gallant style with his 

 fore-legs. " Come, poor fellow," said I to him, 

 " if thou hast got into a hobble to-day, thou 

 shalt not suffer for it : I'll take rio advantage of 

 thee in misfortune ; the forest is large enough 

 both for thee and me to rove in : go thy ways 

 up above, and enjoy thyself in these endless wilds ; 

 it is more than probable thou wilt never have 

 another interview with man. So fare thee well." 

 On saying this, I took a long stick which was 

 lying there, held it for him to hook on, and 

 then conveyed him to a high and stately mora. 

 He ascended with wonderful rapidity, and in 

 about a minute he was almost at the top of 

 the tree. He now went off in a side direction, 

 and caught hold of the branch of a neighbouring 

 tree ; he then proceeded towards the heart of 

 the forest. I stood looking on, lost in amazement 

 at his singular mode of progress. I followed him 

 with my eye till the intervening branches closed 

 in betwixt us ; and then I lost sight for ever 

 of the two-toed sloth. I was going to add, that 

 I never saw a sloth take to his heels in such 

 earnest ; but the expression will not do, for the 

 sloth has no heels. 



That which naturalists have advanced of his 

 being so tenacious of life, is perfectly true. I 

 saw the heart of one beat for half an hour after it 



