The weather grew
intensely hot, he suffered terribly and was burned almost black in the
face, the skin of which peeled off. About eleven o'clock in the morning,
on the glassy surface ahead, he noticed something bobbing up and down in
a queer manner, and pulled away to investigate. He found it to be a
dead mule swollen to gigantic size. While looking at it its tail flipped
out of the water as though it were alive. It was then he became aware
of the fact that a swarm of alligators were feeding on it, and he pulled
away with about as much speed as he has ever been able to attain.

During the day he ran through a thickly populated country, along what is
known as the lower coast of Louisiana; the river was fringed with rich
sugar plantations, and a majority of the negroes who rowed out to see
him, spoke the language of the French Creole. Magnolia trees were thick
on either side and framed a picture of rare beauty.

While paddling for a short distance close in shore, Paul discovered a
most unique and lazy style of angling. Happening to look up at the bank,
he saw two pair of bare feet of heroic size, from which two fishing
lines hung, the corks bobbing on the surface a few yards from the
shore. The broad bottoms of their pedal extremities turned to the river,
the line passing between the great and second toes to the water, and
there they lay enjoying delicious sleep, waiting for a fish to swallow
the bait, when the pull on the line would be felt between their toes
and awaken them to attend to business. Paul took in the situation at a
glance. Quietly drawing near one of the lines he gave it a vicious jerk.
The negro on the other end of it flipped to a sitting posture as though
he was worked on a spring like a jumping jack. When he saw the black
figure as he thought, on his line, he let out a shriek that could have
been heard for a mile, at the same time springing to his feet and
starting on a sprinting pace for some hiding place, yelling, as he ran,
to his companion:

"Hyah Bill, git away from dar; git up an' cut. I'se done cotch de debbil
on my hook."

The other restful fisherman sat up stiffly as if worked on a rusty
hinge, and seeing Boyton, was seized with an uncontrollable fit of
laughter. He laughed as though he was never going to catch his breath,
and Paul was afraid he would choke. He rolled on the ground in paroxysms
of mirth, stood up and leaned against a tree shouting out such loud
guffaws that it w