O'Flannagan
continued to dwell with the hermit in his forest-home, enjoying his
entertaining and instructive discourse, and joining with him in the
bunting expeditions which he undertook for the purpose of procuring
fresh food for his table. In these rambles they made constant
discoveries of something new and surprising, both in reference to the
vegetables and animals of that extraordinary region of the earth. They
also had many adventures,--some amusing and some terrible,--which we
cannot enlarge on here, for they would fill ten volumes such as this,
were they to be all recorded in detail.

One day the hermit roused them earlier than usual, and told them to get
ready, as he intended to go a considerable distance that day, and he
wished to reach a particular spot before the heat of noon. So Martin
and Barney despatched breakfast in as short a time as possible, and the
hermit read them a chapter out of his large and well-thumbed Bible,
after which they equipped themselves for the chase.

When Martin and his friend escaped from the pirates, and landed on the
coast of Brazil, they were clothed in sailor-like costume, namely, white
duck trousers, coloured flannel shirts, blue jackets, round straw-hats,
and strong shoes. This costume was not very suitable for the warm
climate, in which they now found themselves, so their hospitable friend
the hermit gave them two loose light cotton coats or jackets, of a blue
colour, and broad-brimmed straw-hats similar to his own. He also gave
them two curious garments called _ponchos_. The poncho serves the
purpose of cloak and blanket. It is simply a square dark-coloured
blanket with a hole in the middle of it, through which the head is
thrust in rainy weather, and the garment hangs down all round. At night
the poncho is useful as a covering. The hermit wore a loose open
hunting-coat and underneath it a girdle, in which was a long sharp knife
and a brace of pistols. His trousers were of blue-striped cotton. He
usually carried a double-barrelled gun over his shoulder, and a
powder-horn and bullet-bag were slung round his neck. Barney now
procured from this hospitable man a supply of powder and shot for his
large brass-mounted cavalry pistol. The hermit also made him a present
of a long hunting-knife; and he gave one of a smaller size to Martin.
As Martin had no weapon, the hermit manufactured for him a stout bow and
quiver full of arrows; with which, after some practice, he