f. That makes thirty-nine.
Then--"

"Oh, do be quiet, Peterkin, please," said I, with a shudder. "You put
things in such a fearfully dark and murderous light that I feel quite as
if I were a murderer. I feel quite uneasy, I assure you; and if it were
not that we have killed all these creatures in the cause of science, I
should be perfectly miserable."

"In the cause of science!" repeated Peterkin; "humph! I suspect that a
good deal of wickedness is perpetrated under the wing of science."

"Come, come," said Jack; "don't you begin to grow sarcastic, Master
Peterkin. I abominate sarcasm, and cannot tolerate sarcastic people.
If you adopt that style, I shall revert to my natural habits as a
gorilla, and tear you in pieces."

"There you exhibit your unnatural ignorance of your own natural habits,"
retorted Peterkin; "for you ought to know that gorillas never tear men
in pieces--their usual mode being to knock you down with a blow of their
huge paws."

"Well, I will knock you down if you prefer it."

"Thank you; I'd rather not. Besides, you have almost knocked me up
already; so pray call a halt and let me rest a bit."

We were all very willing to agree to this request, having walked the
last two or three miles at a very quick pace. Seating ourselves on the
trunk of a fallen tree, we enjoyed the beautiful prospect before us. An
open vista enabled us to see beyond the wood in which we were travelling
into an extensive sweep of prairie-land on which the sinking sun was
shedding a rich flood of light. It happened to be a deliciously cool
evening, and the chattering of numerous parrots as well as the
twittering songs of other birds--less gorgeous, perhaps, but more
musical than they--refreshed our ears as the glories of the landscape
did our eyes. While we were gazing dreamily before us in silent
enjoyment, Jack suddenly interrupted our meditations by exclaiming--

"Hist! look yonder!"

He pointed as he spoke to a distant part of the plain on which the
forest closely pressed.

"A zebra!" cried I, with delight; for besides the feeling of pleasure at
seeing this splendid creature, I entertained a hope that we might shoot
him and procure a steak for supper, of which at that time we stood much
in need.

"I'm too tired to stalk it now," said Peterkin, with an air of
chagrin.--"Are you up to it, Jack?"

"Quite; but I fear he's an animal that's very difficult to stalk in such
an open country.--What say you, Mak