JOURNEX" THROUGH A CANE-BRAKE. 55 



running round and round, until he was fairly exhausted, when 

 he begged me to procure one of the animals for him, as he felt 

 convinced they belonged to a ' new species.' Although I was 

 couTinced of the contrary, I took up the bow of my demolished 

 Cremona, and administering a smart tap to each of the bats as 

 it came up, soon got specimens enough. The war ended, I again 

 bade him good-night, but could not help observing the state of 

 the room. It was strewed with plants, which had been previously 

 arranged with care. 



" He saw my regret for the havoc that had been created, but 

 added that he would soon put his plants to rights — after he had 

 secured his new specimens of bats. Eafinesque had great anxiety 

 to be shown a cane-brake, plenty of which were to be found in 

 the neighbourhood. The cane-brake is composed of a dense 

 growth of canes, measuring twenty or thirty feet in height, and 

 packed so closely that a man's body requires to be forced between 

 the shafts of the canes. An undergrowth of plants and trailing 

 climbers further prevents progression, which has to be accelerated 

 by pushing the back between the canes. Game of all sorts 

 frequent the cane-brakes, in which travelling is rendered dis- 

 agreeably exciting by the presence of bears, panthers, snakes, 

 and serpents. The cane-brakes are sometimes set fire to, and 

 the water collected in the separate joints explodes like a shell. 

 The constant fusilade occasioned by such explosions in the midst 

 of a conflagration has occasioned the flight of parties not con- 

 versant with the cause, and who believed that the Indians were 

 advancing with volleys of musketry. I had determined that my 

 companion should view a cane-brake in all its perfection, and 

 leading him several miles in a direct course, came upon as fine 

 a sample as existed in that part of the country. We entered, 

 and for some time proceeded without much difficulty, as I led 

 the way, and cut down the canes which were most likely to 

 incommode him. The difficulties gradually increased, so that 

 we were presently obliged to turn our backs and push our way 

 through. After a while we chanced to come upon the top of a 

 fallen tree, which so obstructed our ' passage, that we were on 

 the eve of going round, instead of thrusting ourselves through 

 amongst the branches ; when from its bed, in the centre of the 

 tangled mass, forth rushed a bear with such force, that my 

 friend became terror-struck, and in his haSte to escape made a 



