212 IDLE DAYS IN PATAGONIA 



as the happiest he has known, one that stands out 

 brightly and shines with a strange glory among 

 his days. 



When we are suddenly confronted with any 

 terrible danger, the change of nature we undergo 

 is equally great. In some cases fear paralyzes 

 us, and, like animals, we stand still, powerless to 

 move a step in flight, or to lift a hand in defense 

 of our lives; and sometimes we are seized with 

 panic, and, again, act more like the inferior ani- 

 mals than rational beings. On the other hand, 

 frequently in cases of sudden extreme peril, which 

 cannot be escaped by flight, and must be instantly 

 faced, even the most timid men at once, as if by 

 miracle, become possessed of the necessary cour- 

 age, sharp, quick apprehension, and swift de- 

 cision. This is a miracle very common in nature ; 

 man and the inferior animals alike, when con- 

 fronted with almost certain death " gather reso- 

 lution from despair.'* We are accustomed to call 

 this the " courage of despair"; but there can 

 really be no trace of so debilitating a feeling in 

 the person fighting, or prepared to fight, for dear 

 life. At such times the mind is clearer than it 

 has ever been ; the nerves are steel ; there is noth- 

 ing felt but a wonderful strength and fury and 

 daring. Looking back at certain perilous mo- 

 ments in my own life, I remember them with a 

 kind of joy; not that there was any joyful ex- 

 citement then, but because they brought me a new 

 experience a new nature, as it were and lifted 



