"We should have had no chance against such a terrible beast with a cutlass, I fear." "True, boy, true," replied his friend, gravely; "it would have been little better than a penknife in the ribs o' sich a cratur.

I niver thought that it was in the power o' man or baste to put me in sich a fright; but the longer we live we learn, boy." Barney's disposition to make light of everything was thoroughly subdued by this incident, and he felt none of his usual inclination to regard all that he saw in the Brazilian forests with a comical eye.

The danger they had escaped was too real and terrible, and their almost unarmed condition too serious, to be lightly esteemed.

For the next hour or two he continued to walk by Martin's side either in total silence, or in earnest, grave conversation; but by degrees these feelings wore off, and his buoyant spirits gradually returned.
The country over which they had passed during the day was of a mingled character.

At one time they traversed a portion of dark forest, heavy and choked up with the dense and gigantic foliage peculiar to those countries that lie near to the equator; then they emerged from this upon what to their eyes seemed most beautiful scenery,--mingled plain and woodland,--where the excessive brilliancy and beauty of the tropical vegetation was brought to perfection by exposure to the light of the blue sky and the warm rays of the sun.