The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1877-01-26

The hot vertical sun could find its way to
he pool below, which, even at midday.
carried on its face the deep shade of a
northern twilight.
While looking ut this picturesque gem
of the forest, was suddenly reminded OF
being in land ofperil-for, with a startled
| Cry, my companion bounded back several
feet, and impulsively initiated his exam
pile.
"In Heavens name, what is it 2" eX-
claimed. bringing forward my carbine with
| tremulous hands.
"Look," he answered, pointing to lead
| coored, flat headed snake, of venomous
| species, which was coled around bush
and swinging in the air, not more than one
or two feet from where his face had been
ut the moment of making the discovery
felt II chill of horror Mt the narrow escane
he had made from being bitten; and APP
preaching the reptile with great caution,
cut it down with my knife, and succeed
ed in crushing its poisonous head with the
breech of my carbine. Scarcely had done
so when my companion called to me to
keep quiet, and Immediately brushed from
my person an enormous spider, whose bite.
for aught know, might have been as dead
ly as that of the snake.
Come said |, with shudder of fear,
let us leave this place at once"
We resolved, however, to climb the preci-
pice, if there were any way of reaching
the top. and cautiously pushed into the
Jungle for this purpose. in the course of
half an hour we had succeeded in our de-
sign; and when at length we stood upon
thn ho 10
warded for our labor by a splendid view
of the sea, and large portion of the
island.
A deer, moving through the bushes be-
low, on the other side of the elevation, now
attracted our attention, and revived the
notion of our having Il fine steak for dinner,
and forthwith we set off on regular hunt.
with the idea that, should we miss our an.
imal we might find another of the same
kind.
This led to all our future trouble for.
by our careless venture, we soon became
completely lost in the jungle; and when
ut last we set out, as we supposed, for the
beach, it turned out that we took the op
posite course, and pushed deeper into the
mazes of the forest. At first, supposing
ourselves going right, we felt no uneasi-
ness; but when, after walking couple of
hours, without getting a glimpse of the
sea- we found ourselves on the margin of a
large, stag"ant pool, and the general APP.
pearance of the rank vegetation such as
belonged to the depths of an uneXplored
forest, we stopped and looked inquringly
ut each other, while the blood gradually
retreated from our flushed faces, and left
them pale with strange kind of fear.
While we thus stood, looking silently at
each other, and each busy with thoughts
that re was almost afraid to express, a
sleek little deer stole out Of the bushes
quite near us, and timidly thrust his nose
down toward the water saw him first
and making sign to my companion not
to stir, quietly raised my piece, took
steady aim, and fired. The animal dropped
in his tracks; but before | could utter an
exclamation of triumph, the wild, horrid
roar of some furious beast rang through
the Jungle, and fairly made me trembe
with terror.
my God what is it ~ exclaimed my
companion, pressing to my side.
"A tiger undoubtedly" | answered.
"Then we are lostn'
mot yet awhile, man alive !" | rejoined,
with reassuring boldness, though | doubt
not was, in reality, as much frightened
as himself "Keepa sharp lookout while
| reload my piece and remember, if as
sailed, we are not to die like cowards!"
We put ourselves in as good defensive
position as the circumstances would per-
nit, with our backs braced against large
tree, and watched and waited for half an
hour; when finding nothing appeared to
modest us, we resolved upon having din
ner off our game, even should it prove to
be our last meal 50 we kindled fire, cut
off some tender steaks and roasted them,
and really ate quite heartily for men placed
in our perilous situation. Our dinner
served to refresh us and give US nerve; and
feeling there was no more time to be lost,
we now struck off vigorously through the
dense Jungle, in the hope of getting back
to the beach before dark.
We were doomed, however, to sad dis
appointment We travelled miles on miles
and when the shades of night began to
gather around us, there we were, in the
depths of an awful wilderness, with no
sign of ever being able to find the way out
of it. We now heard another loud roar,
apparently not far off, and our hearts sank
with despair-for if assailed by a ferocious
tiger now what chance would we have of
preserving our lives?
81 can think of nothing better than
climbing tree, and passing a night in its
branches" said to my companion. He
assented, with tremulous anxiety, and we
soon found one to answer our purpose but
as we hurriedly assembled it, we both shud.
~
with some of the thousands of poisonous
reptiles with which the whole hurrid re-
gion abounded. l shall never forget that
night, which was literally one of horror.
We succeeded in getting pretty safe po-
stion among the thick branches; but we
dared not close our eyes in sleep for fear
of falling to the ground; and all through
the long tedious hours, we heard, at inter-
walls, the snarling, growing, fighting and
roaring of the prowling wild beasts, some
times afar off, and sometimes quite near
us. In fact, on two or three occasions, the
bushes were rustled Immediately below us;
and peering down from our leafy covert,
we more than once caught II glimpse of the
fiery eyeballs OF some night monster, as he
looked up ut us and uttered u low, savage
growl.
When the light of another day enabled
US to see our way, we cautiously descended
to the ground, and again set forward at a
venture, no longer presuming to calculate
whether we were going right or wrong.
1t proved terrible day to us, full of new
dangers, great fatigue, aud not little suf-
fering, and night again overlook us in the
depths of an awful Jungle, from which we
now despaired Of ever finding our way out.
We had eaten nothing since the meal of
the preceding day, with the exception of
single biscuit divided between us, and
we not only felt faint and weak, but we
were SO powerfully inclined to sleep that
we believed not even the dangers surround