e of visiting a
tract of marshy land overrun with high canes, the tender tops of which,
you well know, are such delicious food. I was busily employed in a
cane-brake, close to the banks of the river, in company with my mother
and two of my younger brothers, when one of the latter, who had left us
for a few minutes to wash the clammy juice of the canes from his mouth
and trunk, returned in such haste and agitation, that for some time not
a sound could he utter, except unintelligible gruntings and
sputterings. At last, he stammered out, "Mother! mother! dreadful! I
have seen such a thing! Great monstrous monkeys, with long poles in
their paws, and sitting upright on the backs of immense deer, or some
such creatures, only they have got no horns on their heads!"

Upon this, my mother, raising her trunk high in the air, immediately
sounded the well-known signal of alarm, and saying to us, "Follow,
boys, follow!" she darted through the cane-brake like a mad thing, only
stopping now and then to see how we kept up with her. We did our best;
but it was very laborious work, forcing our way at our utmost speed
through the thick canes, which were much higher than our heads, and in
some places; the ground was so soft, that we sunk in up to our bellies.
What a tremendous crash and splash we made, and how we did grunt and
snort! However, at last we reached the open country, two or three miles
from the bank of the river. Here we found more than half of the herd,
(we were seventy-five in number at that time,) and others were every
minute making their appearance from the canes. And now my mother, when
she had a little recovered her breath, turning to my brother who had
first given the alarm, explained to us the cause of this sudden
retreat. "My son," said she, "not _monkeys_ sitting upon _deer_ have
you seen, but _men_ upon _horses_, and the _long poles_ are _cruel
spears_ intended for your destruction."

Our careful leader now called over the names of his company, and
finding that two were missing, he ordered us to retreat to a thick wood
at a short distance, while himself and his brother, a steady sedate old
fellow, entered the cane-brake again, in hopes of falling in with the
lost ones. Being now collected together, we did not fear the enemy, who
is too cowardly to attack any but stragglers from the main body; but we
were very anxious about the fate of our missing friends, especially as
they were both rather young and giddy.

In ab