ANECDOTE. 



141 



partly hid by some low, straggling bushes 

 that fringed the path, but when these bushes 

 were passed he came coolly round the last 

 one, and walked deliberately between the 

 two horses, and seemed as if he was deciding 

 which of the Indian's naked legs he would 

 choose. Pulling out a holster pistol, I sent 

 a ball through his body that knocked him 

 over on the side of the path, but though he 

 was not quite dead, he neither howled nor 

 made any noise. The report of the pistol 

 put a very sudden but short stop to the dis- 

 cordant concert in the savannah. 



I had frequently taken journeys through 

 parts of the forest with a very amiable and 

 enterprising English gentleman. He was 

 one of the most indefatigable and also abste- 

 mious travellers I ever met with : no bed was 

 too hard for him, no food too coarse, and 

 no drink too poor for him ; but he had one 

 peculiarity that, as soon as ten o'clock at 

 night arrived, no earthly power could keep 

 him awake, and he could not keep his saddle 

 without a short sleep : he did not require 

 more than two or three hours' repose, and 

 would then be quite ready for any hardship. 



One night, travelling with him and an 

 Indian servant, the said hour of ten arrived, 



