MOSQUITOES MEETING WITH KEAN. 375 



seen. Being quite a stranger in the place, I rolled 

 myself in my blanket and lay down on the bank of the 

 river. The night was warm and pleasant, but repose 

 was out of the question. Millions of mosquitoes were 

 swarming furiously around, and only left me in peace 

 when I pulled the blanket over my head ; but as that 

 excluded air, and I removed it to breathe, it was a 

 signal for all the swarm to fall upon me with renewed 

 fury. 



At length the first negro bell was heard from the 

 opposite shore, for the negroes to turn out ; soon after- 

 wards a gleam was visible in the east. My tormentors 

 now attacked me like mad, and it appeared as if all the 

 mosquitoes in Louisiana had assembled with the inten- 

 tion of sucking me dry, so as to preserve me as a 

 specimen: I jumped up, and ran about to baffle the 

 attempt. 



Day came at last, and with it some houses w^ere 

 opened ; amongst others a German coffee-house. Leav- 

 ing my baggage there I strolled about the place. After 

 lounging about for an hour, I thought it was late 

 enough to find out Kean, who was clerk in a merchant's 

 house ; I soon found him. Bayou Sara not being very 

 large, and met with a kind reception. 



In the first place I had to change my costume; 

 hunting-shirts and leggings are excellent things in the 

 forest, but not so well adapted to a town, nor to the 

 hot sun of Louisiana. Summer articles were not dear, 

 a number of German Jews having settled in the place, 

 underselling each other ; for a few dollars I obtained a 

 very respectable suit. 



Most of the houses of Bayou Sara are built of wood, 



