266 AUDUBON 



The sun was now sinking in the west. Two of the 

 hunters separated from the rest to procure venison, whilst 

 the squatter's sons were ordered to make the best of their 

 way home, to be ready to feed the hogs in the morning. 

 The rest of the party agreed to camp on the spot. The 

 Cougar was despoiled of its skin, and its carcass left to 

 the hungry dogs. Whilst engaged in preparing our camp, 

 we heard the report of a gun, and soon after one of our 

 hunters returned with a small Deer. A fire was lighted, 

 and each hunter displayed his pone of bread, along with a 

 flask of whiskey. The deer was skinned in a trice, and 

 slices placed on sticks before the fire. These materials 

 afforded us an excellent meal, and as the night grew 

 darker, stories and songs went round, until my compan- 

 ions, fatigued, laid themselves down, close under the 

 smoke of the fire, and soon fell asleep. 



I walked for some minutes round the camp, to contem- 

 plate the beauties of that nature from which I have cer- 

 tainly derived my greatest pleasures. I thought of the 

 occurrences of the day, and glancing my eye around, re- 

 marked the singular effects produced by the phosphores- 

 cent qualities of the large decayed trunks which lay in all 

 directions around me. How easy, I thought, would it be 

 for the confused and agitated mind of a person bewil- 

 dered in a swamp like this, to imagine in each of these 

 luminous masses some wondrous and fearful being, the 

 very sight of which might make the hair stand erect on 

 his head. The thought of being myself placed in such a 

 predicament burst over my mind, and I hastened to join 

 my companions, beside whom I laid me down and slept, 

 assured that no enemy could approach us without first 

 rousing the dogs, which were growling in fierce dispute 

 over the remains of the Cougar. 



At daybreak we left our camp, the squatter bearing on 

 his shoulder the skin of the late destroyer of his stock, 

 and retraced our steps until we found our horses, which 



