ons that night, for they would only keep the less time; and having
lit our fire by the side of a small creek, we had supper, and were soon
sleeping the sleep of the weary, the watch having instructions to call
us at an early hour for the purpose of replenishing our larder before
the birds took their departure for the mainland.

A pint pot of tea swallowed--what a blessing it is that this glorious
beverage is so portable that abundance can always be carried--three of
us sallied forth with our carbines, from which we had extracted the
bullets and substituted shot, each taking a different direction, the
troopers guaranteeing a crab breakfast, and Lizzie cutting and peeling
wooden skewers to roast the game on; for in this climate nothing will
keep beyond a few hours, unless partially cooked. I struck away
towards the left with the intention of making the mangroves as soon as
possible, where I knew I should find plenty of birds. The walk of the
day previous had made me a little stiff; but I felt lightly clad,
without the heavy blanket, which I had left in camp; and, by way of
getting rid of the stiffness, I started off at a run and soon reached
my destination, where I sat down until there was sufficient daylight to
enable me to see the game. As I rested on the root of a tree,
perfectly motionless, I saw something large moving among the mangroves;
but the dawn was as yet so uncertain that I could not distinguish
whether it was a human being or not.

"If that is a black fellow," I thought, "he's worth all the pigeons put
together, and I'll wait quietly to try and capture him," for the object
I saw was moving in the direction my companions had taken; and if it
were a native, he would be certain to return by the road he had come,
when he heard the firing. Sitting still, waiting for anything or
anybody, when waited on yourself by hungry mosquitoes, may be agreeable
enough to Mr. Fenimore Cooper's typical Red Indian, but I can safely
say that it is anything but pleasant work to a thin-skinned Englishman.
Daylight had now fully come, and I was beginning to hesitate as to
whether I had not better bag some of the birds that were fluttering
over my head, and get out of the swamp as fast as I could, when I heard
the distant report of a gun, and said to myself, "Well, I'll give the
nondescript five minutes more, and if it doesn't turn up by then, I'll
blaze away at the pigeons." Half the allotted time had barely elapsed,
when anot