Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1854-04-20

4
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lover hand, and was soon on the limb to which
It had been fastened. By means of the string
now drew uPmy gun, and proceeded along
1.-THE limb to the fork Of the main trunk. In a
minute or two Barra had joined me, with the
provision bag sill round him, there being too
many monkeys about. he said, for him to think
Iof risking it below sdaId rit--staeat
+ We now, as quietly as possible-and that
was very quietly indeed, for we were both al
most an state Of nature -crept towards the
top, and soon had the pleasure of seeing
the light through the topmost boughs, and our
lccvey Of toncans still quietly .preening their
feathers, their brilIiuna breasts glifsering in
the sun. Barra now took off his waistcl0th,
and went Immediately beneath the birds, some
fifteen feet below them, and made ready to
spread the cloth SO as to catch the game with
the least possible damage, the momen. I had
fired. All being ready, ] gradually, inch by
inch, advanced the muzzle to within perhaps
twenty feet of the toucans, and let fly with both
barrels. The shot was one of my best. Five
first rate birds fell into Barra's cloth, three
only getting away. "
AS the provision bag was so handy, we
thought we could not now do better than lunch
in our leafy retreat, and so spent perhaps half
an hour. So luxurious a bower can scarcely
be imagined in any but tropical country
The SURPRISING richness of the forest scenery
was seen to great advantage from our lofty
perch; and had there been but few songsters
to relieve the silence, nothing would have been
wanting. These, however, were in the thick
est shade for an hour or two, to say nothing
of my gun having driven them beyond US.
Descending, which required more care than
the ascent-not only because it is always ca
sier to climb than to return, but because Twas
burdened with my toucans, and had to guard
them from injury-we come in sight of the
limb to which our rope was. Well might we
start dismayed! A grave-looking aragnato
one ofthe howling monkeys (Mycetes drsin,s, }
was coolly seated on the limb, with the ball in
his hand, he having unwound the rope in or
more leisurely to inspect it. The weight, as
I afterwards remembered, seemed greatly to
astonish him, as he passed it from one hand
to the other, balancing it as he did So. On
the impulse of the moment, shout burst from
me at the Unprecedented sight-more shame
for me! as hunter / should have had more
presence of mind; but perhaps, after all, moth
ing could have averted what followed; the mon
key dropping the ball, leaped in an instant to
a neighboring tree, and disappeared, Never
did any sound so smite- upon my ear, as the
sound ofthat ball bounding on the ground.--
Even Barra unconcern in ordinary forest
dangers was overcome, and he. stood behind
me grave and almost trembling. We were,
in fact-I did not joke then--a pair of tree d
'coons a-sg ain 4
1t was some minutes before we fully real
lied our position--on the lowest limb of the
tree, somefiffy feet from the ground, and with
out any means of reaching 1t but by the string
which had drawn up my gun, and which was
almost as great weight as it would bear.
II was therefore quite useless as far as we
were concerned. On taking counsel together,
no way of escape suggested itself, for our
scanty clothing, cut into such shreds as would
bear us, could not reach, when tied round the
limb, above ten feet down. Our bags added
would scarcely have diminished the certainty
of a broken neck, and as the trunk was al
most too smooth for jaguar, we were fairly
at our wits end. riob fi Eafzt.lEct i.tN
We now tsok narrower survey of the tree
itself. There did not seem to be anything to
fear-no cougar or jaguar marks were visible,
nor was there much probability Of snakes be-
ing found in it, as none but the very largest
could compass such trunk, and they gener-
ally prefer tree overlooking stream or
pool, their prey being thus attracted within an
easy distance for the fatal spring. Should
anything approach US, however, we had both
arms and ammunition. AS TO food, we were
well enough off even for some davs, Barra
having brought the bag with him, to say moth
ling Of my dearly-bought toucans; but water
we had none, nor was there the smallest prob
ability Of drop falling. Our chance of be-
ling observed by any passing Indians was small
indeed, in forest the nearest footpath through
which was 4 mile distant /; and as to attract
ing attention by firing, that seemed equally
hopeless, as we were known to be out on busi-
ness, and the report of our arms would, there
fore, be thought nothing extraordinary. Time
had passed during these cogitations, and it be-
came unpleasantly certain that the night, at
least, must be spent in the tree.
I, AS evening drew. on, we made a spariHg
meal, /, and prepared for such rest as we might
be able to obtain. Barra's knife was of good
service in cutting some of the smaller branch
es, which we SO disposed in fork a little
above the main. one, as to render us tolerably
secure from falling if either of us should doze
sleep we hardly expected Darkness now
came on apace-a darkness that might almost
be felt. Even in the day these forests are
sonbre enough, though pleasantly so, as they
shield one from the rays of blazing sun. -
Looking towards the patch Of savanna, the
outlines Of our tree could, after we had be-
come used to the 'dim OBSCURE be family
traced bat towards the forest all was solid
/ q itt III ..fF