aside to a
furze bush, and, striking a light with all the haste he could, set it on
fire; at the sight of which the bear, who was now within a very small
distance of him, turned about, and went away roaring hideously.
Some time after this he was comically alarmed by an inoffensive animal;
as he was walking along a deer-track, he chanced to spy a very fine
tortoise-shell box, as he imagined, though he could not conceive how it
could be dropped there; and, thinking he might make good advantage of it
among the Indians, claps it into his pocket; he had not gone far before
he heard a hissing noise, which seemed to be very near; he immediately
thought it to be some venomous snake, and endeavoured to avoid it by
going out of the path he was in; but still the noise seemed to pursue
him; at last looking down, he sees a little ugly black head peeping out
of his pocket, which he found came out of what he had picked up for a
box: he with much ado slips his fingers into his pocket, takes out his
supposed box, and flings it to the ground, when the creature, opening the
upper from the under shell, marched away; this was, as he afterwards
found, no other than a land-tortoise.
He found his journey very often obstructed by rivers and rivulets, which
he was obliged either to wade through or swim over. At length, after
many days' tiresome travel, being grievously galled by his yoke, or
collar, he discovered several tracks of the Indians. Never did more
different passions agitate the breast of any man than did the breast of
our hero at this time; on the one side he was overjoyed at the sight of
the track of any human creature, thinking he should now get rid of his
heavy collar, as well as get some refreshment of provisions, his own
having been exhausted for almost two days past; but he had not pleased
himself long with this reflection before the idea of the barbarous and
unfriendly Indians struck into his mind, for he was quite uncertain
whether the footsteps he discovered might lead him to the good and
friendly Indians, or to those barbarous and inhuman wretches; he now
represented himself as set upon by these, against whom he had no arms to
defend himself, cruelly tormented, and at last slain as a victim in some
of their bloody sacrifices.
It was about the evening when he discovered these footsteps, and he
passed the whole night in this tormenting suspense. Very early in the
morning he discovered five Indians at a distance; his fe
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