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 1 had thought them fafe on the fhrubs, juft' 
over my head ; but their fcent, carried to a great 
diftance by the damp noCturnai breezes, I fuppofe 
were too powerful attractions to refill. 
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. 
Plow much eafier and more eligible might it have 
been for him to have leaped upon my bread in the 
dead of deep, and torn my throat, which would 
have inftantly deprived me of life, and then glut- 
ted hisftomach for the prelent with my warm blood, 
and dragged off my body, which would have made 
a feaft afterwards for him and his howling affociatcs ! 
I fay, would not this have been a wifer ftep, than 
to have made pratraCted and circular approaches, 
and then after, by chance, efpying the filh over 
my head, with the greateft caution and filcnce 
rear up, and take them off the fnags one by one, 
then make off with them, and that fo cunningly as 
not to waken me until he had fairly accompliihed 
his purpofe ? 
The morning being clear, I fat fail with a fa- 
vourable breeze, coafting along the Chores ; when 
on a Hidden the waters became tranfparent, and 
difcovered the Tandy bottom, and the feveral na- 
tions of filh, palling and repairing each other. Fol- 
lowing 
