I thought,
winked his wicked eye, as much as to say, "That's all gammon; don't
suppose you can do an old soldier like me;" but I cannot say positively,
as it was growing dark. Still he would not move, and I had no wish to
get nearer his fangs. I continued shouting, and he went on howling, and
a sweet concert we must have made, for I had bawled till I was hoarse.
I have an idea that my shouts kept his friends away. Perhaps it
prevented them from hearing what he was saying.

At length, much to my relief, I saw him turn his head, first on one side
and then on the other, and then about he went, as if he had given up all
hopes of his expected supper, and away he skulked into the wood. On
seeing this my courage rose to the highest pitch, and after him I went,
shaking my pole and shouting and shrieking and hallooing at the very top
of my voice to expedite his movements; and it is my belief that he was
so frightened that he did not stop again to look round till he had got
many a mile from where he met me; though I own that, when we first set
eyes on each other, I was much the more frightened of the two.

The shades of evening were now approaching, and I was anxious to find a
place in which I could spend the night in tolerable safety. Scarcely,
however, had the wolf disappeared, than an old lynx, followed by a young
one, trotted up close to me. I got my rifle ready, but rather than fire
I began shouting and shrieking as before, and they continued their
course without molesting me. My great wish was now to find water. A
draught of the pure liquid would have appeared like the richest nectar.
Hurrying on, I saw a green spot with some rushes growing near.

"There must be water," I exclaimed, rushing on with eager haste, like
the pilgrim in the desert, towards the longed-for oasis, even fancying
that I saw the shining surface through the trees. I reached the spot; I
looked about; there were the rushes sure enough, and there had been the
water, but it was dried-up. Oh, how thirsty I felt! I thought I might
find some moisture at the roots of the rushes. I pulled them up and
sucked eagerly at them, but they afforded no moisture to my parched
lips. I had no resource, therefore, but to go liquidless to bed. It
was rapidly getting dark, so I had no time to lose. I saw a large stone
at a little distance, and thinking that it would afford me some
protection if I slept beside it, I began to pull up some rushes with
which to