NORTH AMERICA. I 57 
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 fa fe on the fhrubs, juft 
over my head ; but their fcent, carried to a great 
diftance 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 un- 
accountable incident, which however pointed out 
to me an extraordinary deliverance or protection 
of my life, from the rapacious wolf that ftole my 
fifh from over my head. 
How much eafier and more eligible might it have 
been for him to have leaped upon my breaft in the 
dead of fleep, and torn my throat, which would 
have inftantly deprived me of life, and then glut- 
ted 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 protradled and circular approaches, 
and then after, by chance, efpying the fifh over 
my head, with the greateft caution and filence 
rear up, and take them off the fnags one by one, 
then make off with them, and that lo cunningly as 
not to awaken me until he had fairly accomplished 
his purpofe ? 
The morning being clear, I fat fail with a fa- 
vourable breeze, coafting along the fhores; when 
on a fudden the waters became tranlparent, and 
difcovered the fandy bottom, and the feveral na- 
tions of fifh, palling and repairing each other. Fol- 
6 lowing 
