70 



FRIEND THOMAS. 



in chorus they listened very attentively, leaning 

 their heads down as if trying to make out the words, 

 and evidently struck with a style of singing so 

 different from their own. When we wanted more 

 wood two or three of them cheerfully assisted to 

 bring it from the swamp. At length we got tired 

 and lay down, and they separated into little knots, 

 each party taking a stick and making a little fire, 

 which they sat over. My friend Thomas established 

 himself by me, strewed some grass for me to lie on, 

 and made a little fire in front to keep away musqui- 

 toes ; he then sat down close to my back, and began 

 a long whispering communication, pointing to the 

 gins. I concluded he was offering me a wife if I 

 would come up the country and live with him, as he 

 several times pointed to the bush. He sat carefully 

 watching me as I lay trying to sleep, waiving off the 

 musquitoes, bending down the flap of my hat to 

 shade my face from the moon, or adding a stick or two 

 to the fire. I confess I did not return his attentions 

 with becoming gratitude, as 1 lay with my gun in 

 my arms ready to shoot him if necessary, and once 

 or twice rather roughly removed his head from my 

 shoulder, which he seemed to think he had acquired 

 a right to use as a pillow. Soon after midnight, 

 either because sleepy themselves, or seeing us in- 

 clined to sleep, they began to disappear by twos and 

 threes, each taking a lighted fire-stick in his hand, 

 and going off along the path through the mangroves. 

 When they were all gone, by getting the boat's 



