236 WANDERINGS IN 



JOURNEY. 



THIRD i n disappointment. Probably this poor wild man 



niTRitfFV- "* r .* *-m 



of the woods would succeed by means of a very 

 simple process ; and thus prove to his more 

 civilized brother, that notwithstanding books and 

 schools, there is a vast deal of knowledge to be 

 picked up at every step, whichever way we turn 

 ourselves. 



In the morning, as usual, we found the bait gone 

 from the shark-hook. The Indians went into the 

 forest to hunt, and we took the canoe to shoot fish 

 and get another supply of turtle's eggs, which we 

 found in great abundance on this large sand-bank. 



We went to the little shallow creek, and shot 

 some young caymen, about two feet long. It was 

 astonishing to see what spite and rage these little 

 things showed when the arrow struck them ; they 

 turned round and bit it, and snapped at us when 

 we went into the water to take them up. Daddy 

 Quashi boiled one of them for his dinner, and 

 found it very sweet and tender. I do not see why 

 it should not be as good as frog or veal. 



The day was now declining apace, and the 

 Indian had made his instrument to take the cay- 

 man. It was very simple. There were four 

 pieces of tough hard wood, a foot long, and about 

 as thick as your little finger, and barbed at both 

 ends ; they were tied round the end of the rope, 

 in such a manner, that if you conceive the rope 

 to be an arrow, these four sticks would form the 

 arrow's head ; so that one end of the four united 



