her report broke the stillness of the morning, and immediately
afterwards I heard a rustling among the mangrove-leaves, and a slight
crackling, as though some heavy weight were passing over the arched
roots. I stayed quiet, almost breathless, as the noise came nearer and
nearer, and, turning my head, I peered through the bush behind which I
had taken up my quarters, and saw a fine-looking black gliding
cautiously from one to another of the interlaced mangroves. He was
evidently quite unsuspicious of any danger in front, and kept all his
faculties concentrated on the direction in which he had heard the
carbine-shots, which now followed each other rapidly, as the two
gunners fired at the birds as fast as they could load.

"Now," thought I, "if I can only cut you off so as to keep you between
me and them, I am pretty certain to capture you, my friend;" and,
judging my time, I rushed from behind my bush, and was within ten yards
of him before he saw me. In his amazement he dropped the long
fish-spear with which he was armed, stood one moment undetermined, and
then made his way, with the greatest agility, from tree to tree, not
back towards my friends, as I had fondly hoped, but straight for the
bay. I followed as fast as I could, but he went two paces to my one.
I confess I felt sorely tempted to handicap him with a charge of small
shot, lodged somewhere about the calves of those lean legs that were
carrying him over the roots with such provoking rapidity, and have
often wondered since why I refrained; but I did, and continued to
scuttle after him, now slipping down and barking my shins, now nearly
losing my carbine, and often compelled to sprawl on all fours. He was
now forty or fifty yards ahead of me, and I was nearly giving up the
useless chase, when an unforeseen accident turned the tables in my
favour, and caused me to push on with redoubled vigour. As we
approached the bay, the whole of the roots and lower portions of the
mangroves became thickly studded with oysters, whose shells, sharp as
razors, cut the bare feet of the fugitive; while, on the contrary, they
proved of assistance to me by preventing my thick boots from slipping
off the treacherous roots. I now gained ground as fast as I had
previously lost it, and made certain of capturing my prisoner on
arriving at the end of the mangroves, through which I could already
catch glimpses of the sea. Animated by the thoughts of bringing a
captive into camp, fr