Litchfield enquirer., 1855-02-15

skin blistered. 1 was already speckled ny the bites of thousand swamp-fies and mos quitoes that all night Ind preyed upon me. There was not cloud in the heavens to shade me and the sunbeams smote the surface of the dead bayou with double intensity.
 Towards evening began te hunger; no wonder at that. had not eaten since leav- ing the village settlement To assuage thirst l drank the water of the lake, turbid and slimy as it was. 1 drank it in large quantities, for l was hot,and only moistened my palate wiihoutquenching the craving of appetite. Of water there was enough: had more to fear from want of food. What could I eat! The ibis. But how to cook it There was nothing wherewith 10 make fre-not a stick. No matter for that. Cooking is modern invention, luxury for pampered palates. divested the ibis of its brilliant plumage, and ate it raw. spoil ed my specimen, bM at the time there was little thought of that. There was not much of the naturalist left in me. anath- ematized the hour had ever promised to procure the bird; wished my friend up to his neck in a swamp. The ibis did not weigh above three pounds, bones and all. It served me for a second meal, a breakfast; but at this dejeuner sans foa-ehetto picked the bones.
 What next! Starve1 No-not yet. In the battles had had with the alligators du- ring the second night, one of them had re- ceived shot that proved mortal. The hid- eous carcase of the reptile. Jay dead upon the beach. l need not starve; l could eat that. Such were my reflections. must hunger, though, before could bring myself to touch the musky morsel. Two days more fast ing conquered my squeamishness. drew out my knife, cut steak ffom the alliga- tors tail, and ate it--not the one had first killed, but second the other was now pu. trid, rapidly decomposing under the hot sun tits odor filled the islet.
 The stench had grown intolerable. There was not a breath of air stirring otherwise might have stunned it by keeping to wind ward. The whole atmosphere of the islet as we'll as large circle round it, was i'm pregnated with the fearful efiluvium. could bear it no longer. With the aid of my gun pushed the hat-decomposed car case into the lake. Perhaps the current migh, carry itaway. It did; l had the sat- isiaction to see it float off. This circum. stance led me into train of reheciions.- Why did the body of the alliga ator float It was swollen, inflated with gases. Ha!
 An idea shot suddenly through my mind |; one Qf those brilliant ideas, the children of necessity. thought of the floating alliga- tor, of it's intestines; what if inflated them! Yes. yes |! buoys and bladders, floats and life preservers that was the thought. would open the alligators, make buoy of their intes,ines, and that would bear me from the islet.
 did not lose moments time l was full of energy; hope had given me new life. My gun was loaded-a huge crocodile that swan near the shore received the shot in his eye. dragged him on the beach; with my knife 1 laid open his entrails. Few they were, but enough for my purpose. A plume quill from the wing of the ibis served me for a blow-pipe. l saw the badder-like skin expand, until was surrounded by objects like great sausages. These were tied to- gether and fastened to my body, and then with plunge, entered the waters of the lake and hoated downward. had tied on my life-preseryers in such way that l sat in the water in an upright position, holding my gun with both hands. This intended to have used as club in case should be at- tackled by the alligators; but had chosen the hot hour of noon when these creatures lie in half-torPid state, and to my joy was not molested. Half an hours drifting with the current carried me to the end of the lake, and found myself at the debouchure of the bayou. Here, to my great delight, saw my boat in the swamp, where it had caught and held fast by the sedge. A few minutes more. and had swung myself ovel the gunwale and was sculling with eager ! strokes down the smooth waters of the bay ou