chap, xv.] SICKNESS. 347 



to them, as I should buy their eggs and fowls and fruit ; 

 and if their children would bring me shells and insects, of 

 which I showed them specimens, they also might earn a 

 good many coppers. After all this had been fully ex- 

 plained to them, with a long talk and discussion between 

 every sentence, I could see that I had made a favourable 

 impression; and that very afternoon, as if to test my 

 promise to buy even miserable little snail-shells, a dozen 

 children came one after another, bringing me a few speci- 

 mens each of a small Helix, for which they duly received 

 " coppers," and went away amazed but rejoicing. 



A few days' exploration made me well acquainted with 

 the surrounding country. I was a long way from the road 

 in the forest which I had first visited, and for some distance 

 round my house were old clearings and cottages. I found 

 a few good butterflies, but beetles were very scarce, and 

 even rotten timber and newly-felled trees (generally so 

 productive) here produced scarcely anything. This con- 

 vinced me that there was not a sufficient extent of forest 

 in the neighbourhood to make, the place worth staying at 

 long, but it was too late now to think of going further, as 

 in about a month the wet season would begin ; so I resolved 

 to stay here and get what was to be had. Unfortunately, 

 after a few days I became ill with a low fever which pro- 

 duced excessive lassitude and disinclination to all exertion. 

 In vain I endeavoured to shake it off; all I could do was 



