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On the way home the dog seemed to share his master's discouragement and left unchallenged the evening music of the bull-frogs. When Marcus stretched his tired legs out in bed he thought of to-morrow with the sheep again, and wondered dully why his Lady and her mysterious comrade in the pasture had cheated him.
Passing footfalls echoed bluntly from the wooden pavement, and in the far-away distance the bull-frogs croaked monotonously. And down below, as I looked upon the trees, I could see fireflies coming and going, like pulsations of light, amongst the leaves.
The night passed quietly enough, except that they were startled, every now and then, by the asthmatic cough of the horse, the croaking of the bull-frogs in a neighbouring pond, and the sound of the sentry's musket, as he grounded it every now and then, when he halted, after pacing up and down in front of the hut. Bill was awoke by hearing a voice shouting "Hillo, shipmates, ahoy!
When in the evening pluming themselves in a flock, they make the same odd mixture of sounds which bull-frogs do within the tropics. In Tierra del Fuego, as well as in the Falkland Islands, I made many observations on the lower marine animals, but they are of little general interest. These were arranged two deep in transverse rows forming a ribbon.
During the day, except for the occasional rush of some great iguana or other reptile, and the sound of the wings of the flocks of wildfowl passing over us from time to time, the march was deathly silent. But at night it was different, for then the bull-frogs boomed incessantly, as did the bitterns, while great swamp owls and other night-flying birds uttered their weird cries.
If you do not assist that distressed family, your reputation for benevolence will not be worth the first red cent. Those children are howling for food bull-frogs being scarce and that fond mother is dying of small-pox." "Small-pox!" "Yes sir!
At last, by hallooing, the regiment formed into line, and then came the unique order from the colonel, 'Squat, my bull-frogs. There was nothing for us to do but to lie down on the swampy, oozing ground, with our shelter tents and blankets wrapped around and under us. You remember what an exquisite Strahan used to be. I wish you could have seen him when the morning revealed us to one another.
None of us felt inclined to speak; yet it was some time ere any of us could close our eyes, in consequence of the noise made by the bull-frogs in a swamp near the farm. If we had not heard them as we approached the place, and inquired what caused the, to us, strange sounds, we would have been terribly alarmed. Tired nature at length prevailed, and I sank asleep.
Down in the ditch with you! They are after us! Hallo, there! Come out of that! You need not duck under like two great bull-frogs. Up with you here's a hand. We're polite folks, marm. Fish out the bundles, Jim. Them's the articles silver spoons and all. Off to jail with you. You'll have to trip it fast enough, I'll warrant you. Here, Jim, you take the old bird; I'll see to the young un.
Stephen Girard and George Peabody are of more use to the race than when Philadelphia and London saw them. But we must get up off this log, for the ante are crawling over us, and the bull-frogs croak as though the night were coming on. The evening star hangs its lantern at the door of the night to light the tired day to rest.