, cassava bread, and milk for this day, we determined to go off
next morning in pursuit of game to recruit our larder. At dawn of day we
all started, including little Francis and his mother, who wished to take
this opportunity of seeing a little more of the country. My sons and I
took our arms, I harnessed the ass to the sledge which contained our
provision for the day, and was destined to bring back the products of
the chase. Turk, accoutred in his coat of mail, formed the advanced
guard; my sons followed with their guns; then came my wife with Francis
leading the ass; and at a little distance I closed the procession, with
Master Knips mounted on the patient Flora.

We crossed Flamingo Marsh, and there my wife was charmed with the
richness of the vegetation and the lofty trees. Fritz left us, thinking
this a favourable spot for game. We soon heard the report of his gun,
and an enormous bird fell a few paces from us. I ran to assist him, as
he had much difficulty in securing his prize, which was only wounded in
the wing, and was defending itself vigorously with its beak and claws. I
threw a handkerchief over its head, and, confused by the darkness, I had
no difficulty in binding it, and conveying it in triumph to the sledge.
We were all in raptures at the sight of this beautiful creature, which
Ernest pronounced to be a female of the bustard tribe. My wife hoped
that the bird might be domesticated among her poultry, and, attracting
some more of its species, might enlarge our stock of useful fowls. We
soon arrived at the Wood of Monkeys, as we called it, where we had
obtained our cocoa-nuts; and Fritz related the laughable scene of the
stratagem to his mother and brothers. Ernest looked up wistfully at the
nuts, but there were no monkeys to throw them down.

"Do they never fall from the trees?" and hardly had he spoken, when a
large cocoa-nut fell at his feet, succeeded by a second, to my great
astonishment, for I saw no animal in the tree, and I was convinced the
nuts in the half-ripe state, as these were, could not fall of
themselves.

"It is exactly like a fairy tale," said Ernest; "I had only to speak,
and my wish was accomplished."

"And here comes the magician," said I, as, after a shower of nuts, I saw
a huge land-crab descending the tree quietly, and quite regardless of
our presence. Jack boldly struck a blow at him, but missed, and the
animal, opening its enormous claws, made up to its opponent, who fled in