A LUDICROUS ADVENTURE. 425 



two hours we toiled, struggled, floundered, and fired, 

 a laughing stock to the beautiful spoonbills in the free 

 element above. At length Dr. Cabot brought one 

 down, and we parted. In following our separate for- 

 tunes along the shore I shot one, which fell at the oth- 

 er side of a stream. As I rushed in, the water rose 

 above all my mud stains, and I fell back, and hastily 

 disencumbered myself of clothing. A high wind 

 was sweeping over the bay ; having no stone at hand 

 with which to secure them, my hat and light gar- 

 ments were blown into the water, and at the same 

 moment the roseate bird stood up, opened its large 

 wings, and fluttered along the beach. Distracted be- 

 tween the bird and the fugitive clothing, I let the 

 latter go, and gave chase to the bird, after securing 

 which, and holding it kicking under my arm, I pur- 

 sued my habiliments, now some distance apart, into 

 the water, and at length got back to dry land with 

 my miscellaneous load, and stood on the beach a pic- 

 ture of an antiquary in distress, doubtless illustrating 

 the proverb to the Indian, who now came to my re- 

 lief, if he had ever met with it in the course of his 

 reading, that no man can be a hero to his valet de 

 chambre. In honour of the event I determined to 

 make an essay in dissection, and to carry the bird 

 home with me as a memorial of this place. 



By this time Doctor Cabot joined me, and it was 

 necessary to return. We had procured but one bird 

 each, and had been disappointed of the grand specta- 

 cle of clouds of beautiful plumage, but the account of 



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