68 ' MARTIN RATTLER.

primitive breakfast-table, and walked away straight
before them into the forest.

All that day they travelled patiently forward, con-
versing pleasantly about the various and wonderful
trees and flowers and animals they met with by the
way; but no signs were discovered that indicated the
presence of man. ‘Towards evening, however, they
fell upon a track or footpath, which discovery rejoiced
them much; and here, before proceeding farther, they
sat down to eat a little more fruit—which indeed they
had done several times during the day. They walked
nearly thirty miles that day without seeing a human
being ; but they met with many strange and beautiful
birds and beasts, some of which were of so fierce an
aspect that they would have been very glad to have
had guns to defend themselves with. Fortunately,
however, all the animals seemed to be much more
afraid of them than they were of the animals, so they
travelled in safety. Several times during the course
of the day they saw snakes and serpents, which glided
away into the jungle on their approach, and could not
be overtaken, although Barney made repeated darts
at. them, intending to attack them with his cutlass,
which assaults always proved fruitless.

Once they were charged by a herd of peccaries—

a species of pig or wild hog-—from which they escaped