to enjoy the numberless blessings and objects to delight, and
interest, and gratify the senses, with which the world abounds. I
considered how mercifully I had been preserved during the long hours I
had slept in that utterly helpless state of deep sleep into which I had
fallen, till my faithful dog had been, sent to warn me of the danger
threatening my life. The moment Solon saw the leopard fall dead he
leaped upon me, licked my face and hands, and exhibited every sign of
the most exuberant joy and satisfaction, arising both at having found me
and at having been the means of preserving my life. He then flew at the
body of the leopard, and pulled and tugged at it to assure himself that
the beast was really dead. When he had done this, he took not the
slightest further notice of it.

On examining him, I found that his coat was much torn, and so were his
feet, with thorns and briars, and I had little doubt that he had been
travelling all night to find me. He looked also very tired and
famished, and as I also felt very hungry, I bethought me of trying to
kill some birds, to supply the place of those my friend Mr Bruin had
deprived me of in the night. I therefore reloaded the barrel I had just
fired with small shot, and before many minutes a fine jungle-cock got
up, which I brought to the ground. I loaded again, and killed a couple
of parrots. So, as they would be ample for Solon and me, I instantly
plucked them, and kindling a fire, in ten minutes I had them on spits
roasting away merrily--merrily, at least, as far as Solon and I were
concerned, though, perhaps, the poor birds would have had a different
opinion on the matter. I had, as may be seen, thus become a capital
woodman. I kept, depend on it, a very bright look-out all the time for
my former visitors, the bears, lest a whiff of the roasting birds might
induce them to come back to get a share of the banquet. I had now,
however, a vigilant watcher in Solon, who sat by my side wagging his
tail and observing the process of roasting with the greatest interest.
I wish, poor fellow, that he could have spoken, to tell me what had
become of Nowell and Dango. I examined him to ascertain whether he had
brought me any note from my friend, but if he had had one tied round his
neck, it had been torn off by the bushes; but I thought it much more
probable that he had left them as soon as he had missed me, and set off
without letting them know, to try and find me out.