"Oh, oh, oh!" roared poor Twister, holding his jaws with both hands--"Oh, massa, my tongue blow out--my palate blow down--de roof of my mouse blow up--and all my teets blow clean gan--Oh no, massa, never, never will touch him no more, massa--never, never no more." "I'll answer for it you don't, my boy," quoth Jacob. After picking up the fugitive and clambered garments as well as we could, we travelled onwards for about two miles, when we struck inland, and as the night fell entered a dark tree-shaded ravine, with a brawling brook rushing through the bottom, up which we threaded our way by a narrow road scarped out of the red earth of the hill side. "Now, Mr Brail, give your horse the rein--let him pick his own steps, if you please; for the road is cruelly cut up by the weather and waggons hereabouts, and none of the widest either, as you may _feel_, for you can't see it." I took his advice, and soon found the advantage of it, as we came to several groups of negroes sitting invariably on the inner side of the road, which I would certainly have been tempted to avoid at my own peril; but my horse was not so scrupulous, for he always poked his nose between them and the bank, and snorted and nuzzled until they rose and shuffled out of our way, either by creeping to the side next the ravine, or up on the bank; presently the road widened, and we got along more comfortably. I could not but admire the thousands and tens of thousands of fire-flies that spangled the gulf below us, in a tiny galaxy; they did not twinkle promiscuously, but seemed to emit their small green lights by signal, beginning at the head of the ravine, and glancing all the way down in a wavy continuous lambent flash, every individual fly, as it were, taking the time from his neighbour ahead. Then for a moment all would be dark again, until the stream of sparkles flowed down once more from the head of the valley, and again disappeared astern of us; while the usual West India concert of lizards, beetles, crickets, and tree toads, filled the dull ear of night with their sleepy monotony. The night soon began to be heavily overcast, and as we entered below some high wood the darkness would have become palpable, had it not been for the fire-flies,--even darkness which might have been felt. "I must heave to until I get my bat's eyes shipped, Mr Twig," said I--"I can't see an inch before my nose." "Then send Flamingo ahead, my dear fellow, for if he sees the _length_ of _his_ we shall do--his proboscis is long enough to give us warning of any impediment." "What a clear glowworm-coloured light some of these insects do give," quoth I: "See that one creeping up the handle of my whip--it comes along with its two tiny burners, like the lights in a distant carriage rolling towards you."