great variety of beautiful and vivid colours. He had arrived at the acme of his choler; he was even poising himself with the determination to give the fatal blow, when, attachment to my dog, sinking all considerations of personal safety, I rushed on and dragged him off. The poor Mandanean took the same eventful instant to strike the snake with a long stick he had prepared for the purpose. The first blow brought him down, but with unimpaired vigour, till he fastened on the stick, with the intention of wreaking on it the whole of his wrath and vengeance. So much was he occupied by this determined. spirit, and engaged on the stick, that Cuff, on giving him a blow or two more, run in and struck his head off with the axe. The last act produced a horrid effect, the body, preserving all the principles of life, described a sphere from the ground under which a man could pass; it then assumed as many undulations as its length and volume would allow, and finally rolled along the earth till it came in contact with a tree, round which it once more coiled, and against which it beat its extremities with a violence that soon destroyed the power of action and resistance, and left the creature with unfolded involutions, exanimate round the root of the tree.. The head remained attached so firmly to the stick, as not to be shaken off, nor was I disposed to make many efforts for that purpose. Cuff was tempted very strongly to carry away a piece of the snake which he asserted to be most delicious meat, and far superior to the birds he carried in his bag. To this I could not listen, but directed him cautiously to separate the rattle from the body, and lay it carefully up. I also extended the whole animal, though he was far from being dead, and found his length to be, allowing for rattle and head, twelve feet; and his circumference over the shoulders fifteen inches. The rattle was composed of eleven joints. The head was so inflated, and expressive of much horror and poisonous malignity, that I had not courage to give it any investigation. I pursued my journey, and, confess to you without any desire of meeting a Quixote adventure. On the contrary, I had to walk several hours before I could shake off the influence of terror and the gloom of apprehension. Reaching, by four o'clock, a very fine spring, and being considerably weary, I halted, made a fire, and dressed a few quails on the embers. In size and flavor they resemble your English patridges; but their habits and form rank them under the species of quail. Without disturbing myself respecting their natural history, I made an excellent repast, and resumed my route much refreshed, and resolved by night to gain the top of the mountain, which I had previously pitched upon and observed in the morning. On the way I was crossed by a very fine herd of deer, exactly like the European, only somewhat larger in size. They turned to gaze, and passed on a round trot till I fired a rifle shot, which bringing one of them down, the rest went off with the speed of the wind, nor heeded Cuff, who essayed all their various plaints and cries to retard and allure them. As evening approached, I was much pleased to come in view of a flock of wild turkeys. I wished to have an opportunity of observing their actionthe one afforded me was of the best it possibly could be: they were travelling before me-therefore occasioned no loss of way. The flock consisted of about thirty-four, on the ground, searching for food: they were not considerably alarmed manner. till I had approached them within sixty yards. They then moved on a kind of long hop and run, stopped, and as we gained on them proceeded in the same way. On a nearer approach, they took short flights, rose above the trees, and lighted upon them at intermediate spaces of about thirty rods. At every rest I instructed Cuff to gobble in their This act appeared to attract their attention and retard their flight; and, what was of more consequence, they made responses, which guided our pursuit when they were obstructed from view by the thick ombrage of the woods, and the fast approach of night. They finally went a more considerable distance; and as I judged, to a favorite place of roost. I still had the good. fortune to keep in their track, and to come directly on the spot they had chosen for their rest. They rose up with much perturbation and noise, and again |