NORTH AMERICA. 
157 
The bright flame afcends and illuminates the 
ground and groves around me. 
When looking up, I found my fifh carried off, 
though I had thought them fafe on the fhrubs, jult 
over my head ; but their fcent, carried to a great 
difiance by the damp nocturnal breezes, I fuppofe 
were too powerful attractions to refift. 
Perhaps it may not be time loft, to reft a while 
here, and reflect on the unexpected and unaccount- 
able incident, which however pointed out to me an 
extraordinary deliverance or protection of my life, 
from the rapacious wolf that ft ole my fifh from over 
my head. " 
How much eafier and more eligible might it have 
been for him to have leaped upon my bread in the 
dead of fleep, and torn my throat, which would 
have inftantly deprived me of life, and then glutted 
his ftomach for the prefent with my warm blood, 
and dragged off my body, which would have, made 
a feaft afterwards for him and his howling affociates ! 
I fay, would not this have been a wifer ftep, than 
to have made protracted and circular approaches, 
and then after, by chance, efpying the fifh over 
my head, with the greater! caution and filence rear 
up, and take them off the fnags one by one, then 
make off with them, and that fo cunningly as not 
to awaken me until he had fairly accomplifhed his 
purpofe ? 
The morning being clear, I fat fail with a fa- 
vourite breeze, coafling along the fhores 5 when 
on a fudden the waters became tranfparent, and 
difcovered the fandy bottom, and the feveral na- 
tions of fifh, paffing and repairing each other. Fol- 
lowing 
