134 In Touch with Nature. 



continually crossed and recrossed the river. These 

 were never silent ; my companion always so, for 

 which I was grateful, as the others were forever 

 clearing their throats, and never getting beyond a 

 guttural. Purple grakles hopped from log to log, 

 insect-hunting, I supposed, but nothing like a bug 

 was within sight from where I sat. A song-spar- 

 row came within a log's length and sang twice be- 

 fore departing. All told, we were a merry com- 

 pany ; and what a luxury is elbow-room ! Public 

 highways a mile wide are seldom a feature of the 

 land. Here we were as much alone as if in the 

 moon. 



