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

invaded by these sounds. Il made us both, at
first, almost afraid to break it by word, as IL
we should in some sort be committing sacri-
lege in thus aggressing upon Nights domain.
How strsnge that this dead silence and dark
ness, and the eeaseless roar and brightness OF
Niagara, should affect the mind exactly in the
same way! 1t was SO at least with me- ass
Mans pow er Of adaptation to circumstances
is a benign provision. If our misfortune had
come upon US at the close instead Of in the
middle ofthe day, the probability is that we
should not have slept wink. But having
'brooded over Il for some hours, it was scarce
ly, I should Judge, past midnight, when in
spite Of the chilly. though calm atmosphere,
and cur scanty protection from it, we both be-
gan to dose, and at length fell asleep. !
awoke once or twice afterwards, but Barra
slept on as though he was swinging in his
hammock at home. '.' i' 7ih2'.'. D
About an hour before dawn, which could
somehow feel was coming, apart from the
warning cries ofnocturnal birds and beasts, !
~ ~
became throughly aroused, and ,awoke Barra
Just as the first streak Of light cut like knife
into the forest gleam. He was more rigid
than |, not having changed his position for
some hours, but soon reused himself, throwing
wondering glance round our nest A frugal
dip into the bag was followed by renewed con-
sultation as to how we should get down. We
at length agreed that by the aid of Barrais
knife, the string, and our clothes, we should
try to make some kind of ladder by which to
release ourselves from our leafy prison. The
prospect was not an inviting one, greenheart
being one Of the heaviest and hardest woods
of the colony and Barra's being the only
knife, only one of us could be employed-un-
less, indeed, that one could tie what the other
cut.
This plan was again revised, and at length
we commenced making pole intended to
reach the ground, down which we could slide
without further damage than perhaps some
slight laceration. 1t was agreed to join the
pieces of which our pole must necessarily be
composed, by a peg and socket--the latter
foreshadowing an uncomfortable amount of
difficulty and enforced patience. 3 We had not
long commenced chOpping off a branch, pretty
high up, as the first length Of our pole, when
the three toucans, as / verify believe they
were, which had the day before escaped, again
settled in the topmOst bough. Speedily hear
ing, however, the noise below them, they few
off, and we saw them no more. From mora
ing to night, withthe exception of a short visit
10 the bag, we worked away, and, after all,
had not been able to complete more than eigh-
teen feet at most, in three lengths. The two
joints, however, answered admirably, having
been made sufficiently tight to require some
force in screwing the peg. We suffered much
from the want of water, especially as the la
Dor caused US freely to perspire; and we felt
some faintness of heart creeping over US as
we lay down to rest for the second night. shi
We slept, notwithstanding-deep heavi-
ly-and awoke in the morning as before, to
recommence toll that now seemed hopeless.
The branches that answered our purpose be-
came scarce; our knife was blunted by the
hard wood, and suddenly we at the same mo-
ment gave up work, and looked in each 9TH
ers' faces. Whatever he may have found in
mine, read only despair in my companions, 5,
and 1 turned away my eyes for relief. They
made discovery which caused my, heart to
leap. Onthe further side of the next tree to us
that, in fact, by which the monkeys has
escaped-was huge Iiana,. large even here,
where they twist among the forest, and bind
the trees together, like stout ships cables
1t reached within about ten feet of the ground,
depending some twenty feet from limb which
our weight would put into no sort Of danger,
if we could only reach it. And why should
we not reach it, by bridging the space between
the two trees by means of our pole1 1t was
already long enough, and the idea was no
sooner conceived than we set to work it out,
Having decided on the most eligible point
whence to make the experiment, careful
hoist sent the further end of the pole neatly
into a fork OF the further tree. The joints
bore the jerk almost without a sound, and
Barra was over in a -trice, running catlike
along the pole, at height of perhaps seventy
FIVE feet from the ground, Being much
heavier man, there was the more reason why
should cross in the same way, as quickly as
possible but confess was afraid and on
Barra's assurance that it would bear me, !
crossed astride, and without mishap--thanks
to the exceeding toughness of the wood. We
had hardly congratulated ourselves on our sue
cess so far, when it simultaneously occurred
TO us both that the guns, bags, &c., were all
in our late nest, and very blank ve looked
Barra, however, insisted on Immediately re-
turning and lowering them at once to the
ground by string. -' 'ff''7A s'a
In the meantime, ! descended to the limb
whence ahS Llama hung, and saw at once that
our troubles were at aa end. Barra soon
jsined me, and frst slid dOwa. Ii would not
break with him. he said, even If il cid with me.
On reaching ihe bsstoth however, he told me
10 foIlowibim, which ! did as soon ss the Oscil-
Ia,on. caused BY his descent had caused -
Taking up our guns and baggage, which
seemed twice as heavy as when we last carried
them, we made ashe best Of our way to the river,
and never found water so delightful before.
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