Polynesian., 1850-12-21

shallow. | was now in state of very great
anxiety about my wounded sea-cow, for |
feared that she would get down to deep wa
ter, and be lost like the last one; her strug-
giles were still carrying her down stream,
and the water was becoming deeper.
'To settle the matter. i accordingly fired
second shot from the bank; which, entering
the roof of her skull, passed out through her
eye; she then kept continually splashing
round and round in a circle in the middle of
the river. | had great fears of the croco-
diles, and l did not know that the sea-cow
might not attack me. My anxiety, however
to secure her, overcame all hesitation; so,
divesting myself of my feathers, and armed
with a sharp knife, dashed into the water,
which at first took me up to my arm-pits, but
in the middle was shallower
GAS l approached Bchemoth, her eye
looked very wicked halted for moment,
ready to dive under the water if she attacked
me; but she was stunned, and did not know
what she was doing; so, running IN upon her,
and seizing her short tail, attempted TO in
cline her course TO land. Ii was extraordl-
nary what enormous strength she had in the
water could not guide her in the slight
est; and she continued to splash, and plunge
and blow, and make her circular course car
rving me along with her as if | was fly on
her tail. Finding her tail gave but poor
hold as the only means Of securing my prey,
took out my knife, and cutting two deep
parallel incsions through the skin OH her
rump; lifting this skin from the flesh so that
could get in my two hands, | made use of
this as handle, and after some desperate
hard work, sometimes pushing and some
times pulling, the sea-cow continuing her
crcSl lar course all the time and holding on
at her .rump like grim Death, eventually |
succeeded in bringing this g igantic and most
powerful animal to the bank. Here the
bushman quickly brought me a stout buffalo
rhem from my horses neck, which passed
through the opening in the thick skin, and
moored Behemoth TO tree; then took my
rifle and sent a ball through the centre of
her head, and she was numbered with the
dead"
This book is singular illustration of
&c how use doth breed habit in a man. -
By long custom Mr.. Cumming got to face
the ferccst beasts of prey, and the mightiest
animals; the elephant, the rhinoceros, and
the hippopotamus, as a matter of course;
encouraging the idea, that when the civilized
mind is seated in sound body, and assisted
by machinery, (for a gun is a machine,
there is hardly any feat Of endurance, exer-
ton, or victory over brute mind and matter,
to which it may not be brought. AT last he
absolutely got to play with danger, bit ready
at the instant for the deadly conflict
''As | was examining thc syoor Of the
game by the fountain, Suddenly detected
an enormous old rock-sr.ake stealing in be-
meath mass of rock beside me. He was
truly an enormors Shake, and, having never
before dealt with this species of game, L did
not eXactly knJ Jw how TO set about capturing
him. 5eing very anxious to preserve his
skip entire. and not wishing to have recourse
to my rifle | cut stout and tough stick
eignt feet long, and having lghtened myself
! of my shooting belt i commenced the attack.
Selling him by the tail, | tried to get him
out of his place of refuge: but hauled in
vain; he only drew his large folds frmer to-
gether; | could not move him. AT length |
got rhem round one of his folds about the
middle of his body and Klenboy and COM
menced hauling away in good earnest.
"The snake, finding the ground too hot
for him, relaxed his coils, and, suddenly
bringing round his head to the front, he
sprang out at US like an arrow, with his i'm
mense and hdeous mouth opened to Its larg-
est dimensions; and before could get out
of his way he was clean out Of his hole, and
made second spring, throwing herself for
ward about eight or ten feet, and swapping
his horrid fangs within foot of my naked
legs l sprang out of his way, and getting
hold of the green bough had cut, | return
ed to the charge. The snake now glided
along at top speed: he knew the ground well
and was making for mass of broken rocks
where he would have been beyond my
reach but before he could gain his place of
refuge,I caught him two orthree tremendous
whacks on the head He, however held on,
and gained pool of muddy water which he
was rapidly crossing when again belabour-
ed him, and at length reduced his pace to a
stand We then hanged him by the neck to
bough of tree, and in about fifteen min
utes he seemed dead; but he again became
very troublesome during the operation of
skinning, twisting his body in all manner of
ways This serpent measured fourteen
| feet
The most valuable parts Of Mr.. Cummings
book, are those which describe the habits
and appearance of the animals; as he saw
them under more favorable circumstances
than perhaps any other observer with equal
powers of observation. We can only quote
one of these passages from among the many
we had noted.
ssThe springbok is so termed by the colo
nists on account Of its peculiar habit of
springing or taking extraordinary hds,
rising to an incr edible height in the ali, when
pursued. The extraordinary manner in
which springboks are capable of springing,
is best seen when they are chased by dog.
On these occasions. away start the herd,
with a succession of strange, perpendicular
bounds, rising with curved loins high into
the air, and at the same time elevating the
snowy folds of long white hair on their
launches and along their back, which to
them mparts peculiar fairylike appearance.
different from any other animal. They bound
to the height of ten or twelve feet with the