Here the dog found me a
nest of young ducks, nearly fledged, from which the parent birds tried
with great success to decoy me. I fully thought I was going to catch
them, but the dog knew better and made straight for the nest, from which
he returned immediately with a fine young duck in his mouth, which he
laid at my feet, wagging his tail and barking. I took another from the
nest and left two for the old birds.
The afternoon was much as the morning and towards seven I reached a place
which suggested itself as a good camping ground. I had hardly fixed on
it and halted, before I saw a few pieces of charred wood, and felt sure
that my father must have camped at this very place before me. I hobbled
Doctor, unloaded, plucked and singed a duck, and gave the dog some of the
meat with which Harris had furnished me; I made tea, laid my duck on the
embers till it was cooked, smoked, gave myself a nightcap of brandy and
water, and by and by rolled myself round in my blanket, with the dog
curled up beside me. I will not dwell upon the strangeness of my
feelings--nor the extreme beauty of the night. But for the dog, and
Doctor, I should have been frightened, but I knew that there were no
savage creatures or venomous snakes in the country, and both the dog and
Doctor were such good companionable creatures, that I did not feel so
much oppressed by the solitude as I had feared I should be.
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