On the Banks of the Amazon, by W. H. G. Kingston. 

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This is a quite long book, very well written, about a trip down theAmazon. There is rather a lot of "Natural History", but not too much, because it has all been made easy to follow, and is very interesting. All sorts of interesting things happen on this voyage. 

The copy used for digitisation had a rather furry and small typeface. Not one of the clearest we have ever seen. Consequently it was ratherheavy labour trying to iron out the misreads and typos, and it may wellbe that some remain, though nowhere near the prescribed limit of 99. 95%. 

There are 132, 948 words in the book, so 1 in 2000 means that we musthave less than 66 errors still remaining, which I am sure is the case. 

It is a rather curious thing that one is reminded at times ofBallantyne's "Martin Rattler, " written very much earlier, even down toto the presence of a "recluse". That doesn't mean you won't enjoy thebook just as much as you might have enjoyed "Martin Rattler. " Best, asalways, as an audiobook. 

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ON THE BANKS OF THE AMAZON, BY W. H. G. KINGSTON. 

CHAPTER ONE. 

MY SCHOOL-BOY DAYS AND FRIENDS. 

I might find an excuse for being proud, if I were so, --not because myancestors were of exalted rank or title, or celebrated for noble deedsor unbounded wealth, or, indeed, on account of any ordinary reasons, --but because I was born in one of the highest cities in the world. I sawthe light in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, then forming the northernpart of the Spanish province of Peru. The first objects I rememberbeyond the courtyard of our house in which I used to play, with itsfountain and flower-bed in the centre, and surrounding arches ofsun-burned bricks, were lofty mountains towering up into the sky. Fromone of them, called Pichincha, which looked quite close through theclear atmosphere of that region, I remember seeing flames of fire anddark masses of smoke, intermingled with dust and ashes, spouting forth. Now and then, when the wind blew from it, thick showers of dust felldown over us, causing great consternation; for many thought that stonesand rocks might follow and overwhelm the city. All day long a loftycolumn of smoke rose up towards the sky, and at night a vast mass offire was seen ascending from the summit; but no harm was done to thecity, so that we could gaze calmly at the spectacle withoutapprehension. Pichincha is, indeed, only one of several mountains inthe neighbourhood from the tops of which bonfires occasionally blazeforth. Further off, but rising still higher, is the glittering cone ofCotopaxi, which, like a tyrant, has made its power felt by thedevastation it has often caused in the plains which surround its base:while near it rise the peaks of Corazon and Ruminagui. Far more dreadedthan their fires is the quaking and heaving and tumbling about of theearth, shaking down as it does human habitations and mountain-tops, towers and steeples, and uprooting trees, and opening wide chasms, turning streams from their courses, and overwhelming towns and villages, and destroying in other ways the works of men's hands, and human beingsthemselves, in its wild commotion. 

These burning mountains, in spite of their fire and smoke, appear butinsignificant pigmies compared to that mighty mountain which rises intheir neighbourhood--the majestic Chimborazo. We could see far off itssnow-white dome, free of clouds, towering into the deep blue sky, manythousand feet above the ocean; while on the other side its brother, Tunguragua, shoots up above the surrounding heights, but, in spite ofits ambitious efforts, has failed to reach the same altitude I mightspeak of Antisana, and many other lofty heights with hard names? but Ifancy that a fair idea may be formed of that wonderful region of giantmountains from the description I have already given. 

I used often to think that I should like to get to the top ofChimborazo, the way up looked so easy at a distance; but no one has everreached its summit, though several valiant philosophers and others havemade the attempt. 

The mountain range I have described, of which Chimborazo was longconsidered the highest point, till Aconcagua in Chili was found to behigher, rises from the ocean in the far-off southern end of America, andruns up along its western shore, ever proud and grand, with snow-toppedheights rising tens of thousands of feet above the ocean, till it sinksonce more towards the northern extremity of the southern half of thecontinent, running along the Isthmus of Panama, through Mexico at a lesselevation, again to rise in the almost unbroken range of the RockyMountains, not to sink till it reaches the snow-covered plains of theArctic region. 

But I am becoming too scientific and geographical; and I must confessthat it was not till many years after the time of which I am speakingthat I knew anything about the matter. My father, Don Martin Fiel, hadbeen for some years settled in Quito as a merchant. His mother wasSpanish, or partly so, born in Peru--I believe that she had some of theblood of the Incas in her veins, a matter of which she was not a littleproud, I have been told--but his father was an Englishman, and ourproper family name was Faithful. My father, having lived for many yearsin the Spanish South American provinces, had obtained the rights andprivileges of a Spaniard. He had, however, been sent over to Englandfor his education, and was a thorough Englishman at heart. He had madeduring his younger days several visits to England for mercantilepurposes, and during one of them had married my mother. He was, thoughreally a Protestant--I am sorry to have to make the confession--nominally a Roman Catholic; for he, being a Spanish subject, could nototherwise at that time have resided in any part of the territories ofSpain and carried on his business with freedom: but I feel now that noperson has a right to conceal their true faith, and to pretend tobelieve what is false, for the sake of any worldly advantage. Mymother, however, had stipulated that all her children should be broughtup as Protestants. To this he had agreed, though he found when he hadsons that he was in consequence subjected to considerable annoyance fromthe priests, who threatened to denounce him as a heretic. To avoidthis, he had to send his children to England at an early age for theireducation; indeed, had we remained at Quito we could only have obtaineda very poor one at any public school or college. It will be understoodfrom what I have said, that though we were really English, and I havealways felt like an Englishman, we had both Spanish and nativeconnections, which will account for some of the circumstances whichafterwards occurred to us. 

My father, though he himself resided at Quito, had also a house ofbusiness at Guayaquil, which imported European manufactured goods, andexported in return Peruvian bark and other articles, of which I shallby-and-by have to speak. He was greatly respected by hisfellow-citizens, although they might have been somewhat jealous of himfor succeeding in his business through his energy and perseverance, while they themselves, sitting idle all the day smoking their cigaretteswithout attempting to exert their minds, were left behind. My dearmother lived very much alone, for the society of the ladies of Quito, though they are very charming in manner, afforded her but littlesatisfaction, from their utter want of education. 

I remember the joy which the arrival of my eldest sister, Fanny--or DonaFrancisca, as the Spaniards called her--who had gone to school inEngland, and Aunt Martha, who brought her back, caused in the family. Ihad another sister, Ellen, much younger; a sweet, dear little girl, ofwhom I was very fond. She was indeed the pet of the family. My elderbrother, John, was at school in England. I remember thinking AuntMartha, who was my mother's elder sister, very stiff and formal; and Iwas not at all pleased when she expressed her intention of teaching meand keeping me in order. My mother's health had been delicate, and Ihad been left very much to the care of old Domingos, a negro servant ofmy father's, who had been with him since his boyhood, and with mygrandfather before him. He was the butler, or major-domo, the head overall the other servants, and, I believe, deservedly trusted. Among themI remember best little Maria, a young negro slave girl who attendedespecially on Ellen; and Antonio, a Gallego from the north of Spain, aworthy, honest fellow, who had been in the family from his boyhood, andwas much attached to us all. I soon learned to like Aunt Martha betterthan I had expected, for though I thought her looks very terrible atfirst--and she was certainly firm--she was really kind and gentle. Under her instruction I gained the first knowledge of the letters of thealphabet, of which I was before profoundly ignorant. Of course she wasvery gentle with Ellen, as everybody was, and Fanny seemed to be veryfond of her. She was courageous, too, as I before long had evidence. Iremember one night being suddenly lifted in her arms, and carried out byher into the patio of courtyard. There was a strange rumbling noiseunderneath our feet, and I could see the stout walls of our houserocking to and fro; and yet, though the earth was tumbling about, shedid not tremble in the least, but I heard her telling the servants notto shriek out or to pray to the saints, who could not help them, but toput their trust in God, who made the world, and who would save them fromdanger if it was his good will. It was a very fearful night, however, and though I believe the earthquake did not last long, it tumbled down, during the few minutes of its duration, a number of buildings, and manyof the inhabitants were buried beneath the ruins. Our house, however, which was on the outskirts of the city, and had no upper story, althoughsome of the walls were cracked, escaped without further injury; andbefore morning we were in our beds again, and I, for my part, wassleeping soundly. 

A short time after this I found that some great event was about to takeplace, and I saw trunks being packed; and my mother, who had been illfor some time, was very busy, and looked, I often thought, somewhat sad;and then I heard that she and Ellen and I were going to England, to beaccompanied by Domingos and Maria, and that we were to remain there sometime, and that I was to go to school, and then, if my father did notjoin us, that John and Ellen and I were to come back together with ourmother, unless she returned before that time. Aunt Martha and Fannywere to stay and take care of my father. Of course I was highlydelighted when I heard this, and began packing a box with my playthings, and all sorts of articles, and was very indignant when Maria told methat they were not to go. I do not remember much about the journey, except that my father came with us, and that the party rode on mules;that Domingos carried me before him; that we went up and down mountainsand into deep valleys; and that sometimes it was very hot, and sometimesvery cold; and that we stopped at very uncivilised-lookingresting-places at night; and that at last we reached a large town, closeto the sea, which was, I have since learned, Guayaquil. I rememberseeing some magnificent fruits--pine-apples, oranges, lemons, limes, alligator-pears, melons, and many others--and eating some of them, orprobably I should not have recollected the circumstance. The place wasvery busy, and far more people were moving about than I had beenaccustomed to see at Quito; and in the harbour were a number ofvessels--large ships and small ones, and curious rafts, on which thenatives were sailing or paddling about, called _balsas_. They were madeof light balsa wood, which is very buoyant. They were of all sizes, andsome had come in from a considerable distance along the coast. Then myfather accompanied us on board a big ship, and took an affectionateleave of my mother and sister and me; and we all cried very much atparting, at least Ellen and I did, though I was so well pleased with allthe sights I witnessed that I soon forgot my sorrow. Then the sails ofthe _Pizarro_--that was the name of our ship--were set, and we glidedout of the harbour, while the boat containing my father returned to theshore. The _Pizarro_ was, I should say, a Spanish ship, commanded byCaptain Lopez, a very worthy man, in whom my father had greatconfidence, or he would not have committed our mother and us to hischarge. At that time Spanish vessels alone were allowed by theSpaniards to trade to the ports of their colonies, which contributedwith many other causes greatly to retard their progress. I, however, knew nothing about such matters at that time. I remember the compass inthe binnacle placed before a big wheel, at which a man was alwaysstanding steering the ship, and I was told that we were sailing south. I thought the ocean, which was blue, and calm, and glittering in thesunshine, must be very wide, and wondered where it could end, or whetherit had an end towards the west. On the east was the coast of Peru, andI could see the lofty snow-capped mountains rising up out of the plain, looking as if they were intended to bear up the sky should it come downtowards the earth. Day after day we glided on. There they were as highas ever, apparently quite close to us, though I heard the captain tellmy mother that they were fifty miles off or more. I scarcely believedhim, though I did not think so big and grave a man could tell a story. I did not understand at that time to what a distance objects can be seenin that pure, clear atmosphere. We after that stood off the coast formany hours, and yet they appeared almost as high as ever. The mountainsI saw were the Andes or the Cordilleras, among which I had lived so longwithout having a clear idea of their extent. 

We were not idle during the voyage, for our mother set to work thesecond day we were at sea to give us our lessons. She had made a pointof teaching us English as soon as we could utter a word; but thoughEllen spoke it very well from being always with her, I spoke Spanishmixed with Quichua, the native Indian tongue, much more readily. Wenow, however, learned all our lessons in English, and read a great deal, so that I got on rapidly. 

The weather at length began to grow unusually cold, and the sky wascovered with clouds. We put on warm clothes, and kept much oftener thanusual in the cabin. The ship too began to tumble about, and I thoughtsometimes would be sent right over. I remember inquiring seriously if a_waterquake_ were taking place; for I had hitherto seen the ocean socalm, that I fancied it would always remain so, and that it was only theearth which was given to shaking and tumbling about. The wind whistledand roared, and the spray flew over the deck, and the sailors went outon the yards and reefed the sails; but no one seemed to mind what washappening, so I was soon content, and thought all was right; and when Ilooked on the waves, it struck me that they were not a quarter as highas the mountains I had been accustomed to see, and wondered how theywere able to tumble the great big ship about in the way they did. Stillon we went day after day, and I discovered that we were sailing in anopposite direction to that we had before steered. I could not make itout, till the captain showed me a chart, and gave me my first lesson ingeography on a grand scale; and I then saw that we had come down thewest coast of South America, and were now sailing northward along itseastern coast. 

I was very glad when I could go on deck again without greatcoat, and thesun shone forth as brightly almost as it does at Quito. Then in alittle time the weather got very hot again, and there was no wind, andthe ship lay on the glassy sea, her white sails flapping against themasts. There we lay day after day, and I began to think that at thatrate we should never get to England; but Captain Lopez told me that Ineed not trouble myself about the matter, as the wind was sure to comesome day or other, and that then we should glide along as fast as ever. I found that he was right, though we were becalmed several times afterthat. 

At length we saw the crew very busy in polishing up the ship, andranging the cables along the deck, as getting them ready for anchoringin called; and men were aloft all day looking out ahead; and then camethe shout of "Terra! terra!--Espana!" and I found that we wereapproaching the coast of Spain. The next morning when I went on deckthe ship was at anchor, surrounded by land, with a large city on oneside, and other towns or villages scattered about on the other. Thiswas the beautiful Bay of Cadiz. Near us lay a large ship with theEnglish flag flying at her peak. Captain Lopez went on board her, andthen hurried on shore with certain papers in his hand; and when hereturned, we all went on board the English ship. Soon after, the anchorwas hove up, the sails let fall, and away we sailed out of the harbour. Thus we did not even set foot on Spanish soil. I asked my mother thereason of this: she replied, that finding the ship on the point ofsailing, she did not like to lose the opportunity of going to England inher; that the ship was called the _Inca_, commanded by Captain Byles, with whom she and my father were acquainted. 

I remember that Captain Byles was very kind and attentive, that thecabin was very neat and clean--a quality for which that of the _Pizarro_was not remarkable--while the English crew, many of whom were oldmen-of-war's-men, paid off at the end of the war, were far more orderlythan the Spaniards. There was a black cook, Sam by name, and a whitegoat. With the former we soon struck up a friendship, for he wasgood-natured and kind to us, and a most intelligent fellow; the latterused to chase us round and round the deck, and several times tumbled mehead over heels when I jumped before her to prevent her from butting atEllen. Of Sam I shall have to speak more by-and-by. I do not remembermany more incidents of the voyage till one day I saw the men heaving thelead, and I found that we were in the chops of the Channel; and then Iheard the shout of "Land! land!" from one of the crew at the mast-head, and I was told that England was in sight; and after a time I saw alight-blue line away over the bow on the left side, and heard that itwas the Lizard, which I explained to Ellen was not a creature, but apoint of land at the west end of England. With a fine breeze, studdingsails on either side, the colours flying, the sky bright and thesea blue, the big ship, her canvas glittering in the sunlight glidedproudly up Channel. Even the gruffest old seaman began to smile, andevery one seemed in good spirits. At last a little one-masted vesselcame dancing over the small waves towards us, our sails were brailed up, a boat put off from her, and a big man with huge whiskers, and roughgreatcoat, and broad-brimmed hat climbed up the side, and shook handswith the captain; and I heard that the pilot had come on board, and thatwe were sailing into the Downs. I went below, and on returning on deckI looked up and saw, instead of the broad sheets of white canvas whichhad so long been spread, the long yards above my head with the sailsclosely furled. The ship was at anchor. In a short time the boat camealongside, and my mother and sister and I, with our attendants, werelowered into her. We rowed on shore, and went to a big house, where allthe people were wonderfully polite. I asked if this was to be ourfuture home, but my mother told me it was an inn--very unlike theresting-places we had stopped at on our journey from Quito. 

The next day we were all seated inside a yellow carriage, with Domingosand Maria on the outside, and rolling away over the smooth road at agreat rate. We went on and on, changing horses every now and then, through a country dotted about with houses which looked very large andgrand, and green trees which looked very small after those I had beenaccustomed to see. At length the houses became thicker and thicker, andwe were driving through long streets with numberless carriages dashinghere and there, and carts, and vans, and vehicles of all sorts; and mymother told me we were in London. We drove on, and I thought we shouldsoon be on the other side; but I found that we had not got nearly intothe centre of it. I had thought Quito a large city, but this, Iguessed, must be ten times larger. All the houses, too, lookedwonderfully high, and I thought if an earthquake were to occur, howquickly they would all topple down. I asked my mother how people couldventure to build such tall houses. She laughed, and said that happilyin England there were no earthquakes; and that, in another city in thenorth, there were houses ten stories high. 

We stopped at last before a house in a long, dull-looking street, and agentleman came to the door and handed us all out, and kissed my motherand Ellen and me, and welcomed us to England; and I found that he wasUncle James, my mother's brother; and there was our aunt, his wife, anda number of cousins, boys and girls; and we were all soon quite at homeand happy, though I did not exactly know what to do with myself. 

A few days after that, Uncle James and my mother and I drove out in acarriage, and there was a box on the top of it full of my clothes, andseveral other things; and then I found that I was going to school. Iwas rather pleased than otherwise; not that I wished to leave my motherand Ellen, but I wanted to know what sort of a place school was. Wewent some distance away from London, and stopped before a house with aniron gate, and a huge stone lion on each side of it. We got out, andwere shown into a drawing-room, and there we sat, till a tall gentlemandressed in black, with a very white head, made his appearance, and mymother and Uncle James talked to him for some time; then he called meup, patted me on the head, and told me he hoped that I should be a goodboy, and learn my lessons well. I did not feel quite comfortable whenmy mother got up and kissed me again and again, and looked somewhat sad;and then Uncle James wished me good-bye; and out they went, while thetall gentleman kept me by the hand. 

"Now, Harry Faithful, " he said, "I will introduce you to yourschool-fellows;" and he conducted me through a passage, at the end ofwhich was a door which opened out into a large open space covered withgravel, with high walls on either side. A big tree stood in the centre, and a vast number of boys of all ages were running about. Some hadhoops, others were jumping over long ropes, and others, with reinsfastened to their arms held by bigger boys, were scampering round andround, playing at horses. Some were leaping over each other's backs, and others were hopping about with their arms folded charging at eachother. I thought it very good fun, and hoped that was the way they werealways employed. 

The tall gentleman, after waiting a minute or two, called out, "AntonyNyass, come here. Here is the son of an old friend of your father's. Iexpect you to look after him. "

Then he turned round to me, and said, "When the bell rings, you willcome in with the rest, and we will lose no time in placing you. "

"And so you are the new boy, " said my companion. "What is your name?"I told him. "Well, I am very glad you are come, " he observed, "for Iwant a chum. We will have all sorts of fun together. Will you have ahoop? I have got a prime one which beats all those of the fellows in myclass; or will you go shares in a pair of leather reins?" I told himthat I should be very glad to do what he liked, and that I had plenty ofmoney, though I could not say how much, as I was not accustomed toEnglish coin, and could not remember what it was called. "Oh, I willsoon put you up to that, " he said, laughing; "but do not show it now. We will see by-and-by what you can do with it. "

While we were speaking, a number of other boys collected round us, andbegan to ask me all sorts of questions--who I was, who my friends were, where I had come from, how old I was, and if I had ever been to anotherschool. 

"Do not tell them, " whispered Nyass. 

"What is that you are saying, Master Tony!" exclaimed one of the boys. "You are putting him up to some of your own tricks. "

"I will tell you all by-and-by, " I answered, taking my new friend'shint. 

"Can you run?" asked Tony. "Tell them that you will race any one ofthem, " he whispered. 

"I do not know, but I will try, " I replied. 

"Who is for a race?" exclaimed Tony. "He will run you down to thebottom of the play-ground and back again, and if he does not beat allthe fellows of his own size I shall be surprised. "

I was light and active, and though I had never before run a race, havingno companions to run with, I did my best to follow out Tony'ssuggestion. At the word, off I set as hard as I could tear; five or sixother fellows besides Tony ran also. He kept up with me, though wedistanced the rest. He touched the wall at the bottom, and I followedhis example. 

"Now, back again as hard as you can go! I am the best runner of my sizein the school, " he cried out, as he kept close to me; "if you beat me, your fame is established, and the fellows will treat you with respectafter that. "

I felt, however, very doubtful whether I could beat Tony; but I did mybest, and as we neared the point we started from I found myself drawingahead of him. "That is it!" he shouted; "keep on, and you will do it. "I suspected that he was letting me get ahead of him on purpose, and Ireached the starting-point four or five paces before him. I felt, however, that I could not have run another minute if my life haddepended on it; while he came in without the slightest panting. Theother fellows followed mostly together, a short distance behind. 

It is curious how slight a thing gives a boy a position at once in aschool. Thanks to Tony, I gained one at once, and ever afterwards keptit. I do not intend to give an account of my school-life andadventures, as I have more interesting matter to describe. I was placedin the lowest class, as might have been expected. Although I knewnothing of Latin, I was up to several things which my class-mates werenot, and as I did my best to learn, I soon caught up a number of them. My friend Tony was in the class above me, and he was always ready togive me any help. Though not quarrelsome, I had several battles tofight, and got into scrapes now and then, but not often, and altogetherI believed I was getting on pretty well. Tony, my first acquaintance, remained my firm friend. Although now and then we had quarrels, wequickly made them up again. He used to listen with eager ears to theaccounts I gave him of my voyage, and the wonders of my native land. Henever laughed at my foreign accent, though the other boys did; but Ivery soon got rid of it. I used to try to teach him Spanish, and theIndian language, which I had learned from the servants; but I soonforgot them myself, and had difficulty even in recalling a few words ofthe tongue which I once spoke with ease. 

"I say, Harry, I should so like to go out with you to that country, "said Tony to me one day. "When you go back I must try and get my fatherto let me accompany you. "

I, of course, was well pleased at the proposal, and we talked for daystogether of what we should do when we got out there. At last we beganto think that it was very hard we should have to wait till we had grownbig fellows like those at the head of the school, and Tony proposed thatwe should start away by ourselves. We looked at the map, and consideredhow we could best accomplish our object. We observed the mighty riverAmazon rising at no great distance--so it seemed on paper--from Quitoitself, and running right across the continent into the Atlantic. 

"Will it not be fun paddling up by ourselves in a canoe!" exclaimedTony. "We will have guns to go on shore and shoot birds and beasts; andwhen we grow tired of paddling we will sail along before the wind; andwe will have a tent, and sleep in it at night, and light a fire in frontof it to cook our suppers and keep off the wild beasts; and then, whenwe arrive at the upper end of the river, we will sell our canoe to theIndians, and trudge away on foot with knapsacks on our backs up themountains, till we reach your father's house; and will not he beastonished to see us!"

I agreed with him in his last idea certainly, but I was puzzled to thinkhow we were to reach the mouth of the Amazon, and when we were there howwe were to procure canoe. All the rest appeared pretty easy in the wayTony proposed it, and, after all, even on a big map, the river did notlook so very long. 

"Well, my idea is, " said Tony, "that we should save up all ourpocket-money, and then, some day when we have got very hard lessons todo, or anything disagreeable takes place, run off, and get aboard a shipsailing to South America. I should not mind being cabin-boy for a shorttime; and as you know Spanish and Indian, you could tell the captain youwould interpret for him, and of course he would be very glad to haveyou; and then, you know, we should soon learn to be sailors; and it willbe much pleasanter climbing about the rigging and up the masts and alongthe yards than sitting at our desks all day bothering our heads withCaesar and Ovid and sums and history and geography, and all that sort ofthing. "

"But I have not got Caesar and Ovid to do yet, " I observed; "and I wantto have a little more schooling; for Uncle James says I shall not be fitfor anything until I do. Do not you think we had better wait till I getinto your class, or rather higher still?"

Tony said he was much disappointed at my drawing back, which he argued Iwas doing when I made these remarks. However, I spoke in perfectsincerity, and fully believed that I should enjoy the adventure heproposed just as much as he would. I had my doubts, however, whether weshould receive so favourable a reception at the end of our journey as hesupposed. However, he continued talking and talking about the matter, till I agreed to consider what could be done during another half. 

I spent my first holidays in London at Uncle James's, and my brotherJohn came there, and I was surprised to find what a big fellow he was. We were very good friends, and he took me out to see a number of thesights of London. We went, among other places, to Exeter Change, wherethere were all sorts of wild beasts. I had no idea until then thatthere were so many in the world. I was highly interested, and learnedthe names of nearly all of them; and John told me where they had comefrom, and all about their habits. Then Uncle James gave me a book ofnatural history, which I read with great delight. I found by the bookthat the beasts I had seen at Exeter Change were only a very smallnumber of those which exist in different parts of the world. I likedthat book of natural history better than any I had ever read; except, perhaps, "Robinson Crusoe, " which Tony had lent me, and which he saidwas the best book that ever was written. I thus gained a veryconsiderable knowledge of the quadrupeds and the feathered tribes of theanimal kingdom, and Uncle James said he thought some day I should becomea first-rate naturalist, if I had opportunities of studying thecreatures in their native wild. I resolved the next summer holidays, which were to be spent in the country, to catch as many of the creaturesas I could, and form a menagerie of my own. I should say I had not toldJohn of the plan Tony and I had in contemplation--of exploring theAmazon by ourselves. I thought, from some of his remarks, that hepossibly might not approve of it. 

I soon got tired of London, after I had seen the usual sights, though Iwas glad to be with my mother and Ellen and my cousins. John also wasvery kind, but he was such a big fellow that I stood in as much awe ofhim as I did of my uncle. I was not sorry, therefore, to find myself atschool with companions of my own age. As the weather was very cold, Tony and I agreed that we would put off our expedition till the summer, and in the meantime we talked of the menagerie I proposed making, andother subjects of equal importance, which prevented us thinking aboutthe former matter. 

I had a good many friends among my school-fellows. Arthur Mallet, nextto Tony, was my chief friend. He was by several months my junior--adelicate, gentle boy, amiable, sensible, and clever. He was liked bythe masters as well as by the boys, and that is saying much in hisfavour. Poor fellow, notwithstanding this he was frequently out ofspirits. I asked him one day why he looked so sad. He was silent forsome minutes. "I will tell you, Harry, " he said at length. "I amthinking of my mother. She is dying. I know it, for she told me so. She never deceived me. When she has gone I shall have no one to carefor me--and--and--Harry, I shall have to depend on the charity ofstrangers for support. She urged me to work hard, that I might beindependent; but it will be a long time before I can become so. Formyself I do not so much mind, but it troubles my mother greatly; andthen to have her die--though I know she is going to heaven--I cannotbear the thought. " He said more in the same style. "And then, shouldmy father come back--oh, what will he do!" he added. 

"I thought from what you said that you had no father, " I remarked. "Where is he then, Arthur?"

"That is what I do not know, " he answered. "Do not speak about it toany one, Harry. He went away a long time ago, on account of somethingthat had happened. He could not bear to stay in England. But he wasnot to blame. That is all I know. He could not take her with him; andmy grandmother and aunts with whom she was left died, and their fortunewas lost; and what she has now got is only for her life, and thattroubles her also greatly. "

I tried as well as I could to comfort Arthur, and after this felt morethan ever anxious to stand by him an a friend. "I may some day be ableto help him, " I thought--but I did not tell him so. Our friendship hadbeen disinterested, and thus I wished it to remain. 

I said that I had many friends at school, but there were some few whom Ilooked upon in a contrary light; especially one big boy, Houlston, ofwhom all the little ones were dreadfully afraid. He used to make us doanything that seized his fancy, and if we ventured to refuse, oftenthrashed us. Poor Arthur Mallet frequently came in for hisill-treatment, and bore it, we all thought, with far too much patience. At last Tony and I and a few other fellows agreed that we would stand itno longer. One day Houlston and one of the upper form boys, who wasyounger than himself, had a dispute. We thought that he was going tothrash the other fellow; but the latter standing up in his own defence, Houlston walked off, not venturing, as we supposed, to encounter him. This, of course, gave us courage. A few day afterwards Tony wasreading, when Houlston, coming by, seized his book, saying he wanted it. Tony watched his opportunity, and snatching it up, made off out of theschool-room, through the play-ground into a yard on one side, which, notbeing overlooked by any of the windows from the house, was the usualplace for pugilistic encounters. Houlston followed. I saw ArthurMallet and several of those who had promised to side with us standingnear. Arthur joined us, though somewhat unwillingly. We made chase. Tony, who had fled to the yard, was at length overtaken by his pursuer, who began hitting him over the head and shoulders. I signed to mycompanions, and making a spring, jumped on Houlston's back and beganbelabouring him with might and main. I shouted to the others to come onand attack him on either side. He was furious, and struck out right andleft at them; but I, clinging pertinaciously to his back, prevented hisblows having due effect. My companions on this closed in, and two ofthem seizing him by the legs, down he came, with me still clinging tohis back. The rest now threw themselves upon him. Handkerchiefs werebrought out, and in spite of his struggles they managed to tie his armsbehind him, while I kept him down. Though he kicked out furiously, byjumping on his body we succeeded in securing his legs, and we thus hadhim in our power. It was in the evening of a half-holiday. On one sideof the yard was a wood-shed. Into this we dragged him. Astonishmentand the efforts he made to free himself had prevented him from shoutingfor help. Before he had uttered a cry, Rawlings, one of the biggest ofour party, running up, shoved a handkerchief into his mouth, whichcompletely gagged him. We then all ran away, leaving him withoutcompunction in the dark and cold. Assembling again in the school-room, we agreed to leave him till somebody coming by might release him. Tea-time came, and Houlston did not make his appearance. I began togrow anxious, and communicated my fears to Arthur, who sat next to me. Still he did not come. Tea was over. At last Arthur entreated that wewould go and ascertain what was the matter. It was now quite dark. Iremember quite well the uncomfortable feeling I had, as, stealing out, we groped our way in the dark to the yard. On approaching thewood-house we heard a groan. Could it proceed from Houlston? My heartbeat more tranquilly, though, for the groan showed that he was alive. We crept in. He was where we had left him; but his hands were icy cold. I bethought me first of withdrawing the handkerchief from his mouth. Some of the fellows proposed leaving him again. 

"Oh no, no; pray don't do that!" exclaimed Arthur. "Perhaps he willpromise to give up bullying if we agree to cast him loose. "

"You hear that, Houlston?" said Tony. "Will you become a good fellowand treat the little chaps properly, or will you spend the night outhere?"

Houlston only grumbled out some words which we could not understand. Atlast we heard him say, "What is it you want?" It was evident from histone that he was greatly humbled. That is not surprising, for he musthave been very cold and very hungry, and Tony repeated the question. 

"He will not promise. We must put the gag in again, " said two or threeof the other fellows. 

"Will you promise?" asked Tony again. 

"Oh, do let him go!" again exclaimed Arthur, whose kind heart was movedby the pitiable condition of our captive. "He will promise--I know hewill; and I do not mind if he bullies me ever so much. We should thinkany one very cruel who kept us out in the cold as we have kept him. Iam sure that he will promise what we ask--won't you, Houlston?"

"No, he will not, " said another boy. "He will have a couple of hours towait till the names are called over, and perhaps somebody will then comeand look for him. He will be much colder by that time. "

"Oh yes, I will promise!" cried Houlston. "Let me go, and I will notbully you little fellows any more. Just try me. And I will rememberwhat Mallet said--he has more feeling than any of you; I did not expecthim to have spoken as he has, for I treated him always worse than any ofyou. "

"You promise, on your word of honour, " said Tony; "and you will not goand complain of us? You must promise that too. "

Houlston was completely humbled. He promised all we demanded. 

"We may trust to his word. I am sure we may!" exclaimed Arthur. "Oh, do let us loose him!"

"Thank you, Mallet. Thank you, Faithful. I am much obliged to you, "whispered Houlston, as Arthur undid the handkerchief which bound hiswrists. The others were in the meantime casting off those round hislegs. We lifted him up, for he was so numbed and chilled that he couldnot walk. Arthur had brought a slice of bread and butter doubled up inhis pocket. He offered it to Houlston, who took it gratefully. Hisclothes, I felt, were covered with chips of wood and dust. We brushedhim with our hands as well as we could in the dark, and then led himback into the playroom, where the boys were collecting after tea. Iwatched him narrowly, fearing mat he might tell some of the big fellowswhat had happened; but he went to his box without speaking to any one, and then taking up his books, proceeded to the school-room to learn hislessons for the next day. We kept our counsel, and were convinced thatHoulston wisely kept his, for not a word did he utter to any of hiscompanions of what had occurred. From that day forward he was generallykind and good-natured, and especially so to Arthur Mallet. He helpedhim in his lessons, and was constantly making him presents of suchthings as boys prize, though older people may not set much value onthem. Though he might lose his temper with others, he never did so withArthur, and always seemed anxious to show his friendly feeling in avariety of ways. I have seldom seen a fellow so greatly changed for thebetter as Houlston became, owing, I believe, greatly to the way Arthurhad pleaded his cause when the rest of us seemed inclined to revengeourselves still further than we had already done. 

I should not have mentioned the circumstance, except for the sake of themoral it taught me. There is an old saying, that when a bull runs atyou the best way of escaping him is to seize him by the horns; and fromthe manner we overcame Houlston, I am convinced of the wisdom of theadvice. Ever since, when a difficulty has occurred, I have seized itboldly, grappled with it as we grappled with Houlston, summoned up allmy courage, resolution, and strength, just as Tony and I called ourcompanions to our assistance, and dragged it, metaphorically speaking, to the ground, gagged it as we gagged the bully, and not let it looseagain till I have been convinced that it would no longer trouble me. Again, when I have had any difficult thing to do, I have done it atonce, or tried my best to do it. I have never put off a disagreeablething which I may have had to do till another day. I have got it overas soon as possible, whatever it may have been. I have generally foundthat the anticipation is worse than the reality. I cannot understandwhat made Houlston take to bullying; and I must say after this he showedmuch good feeling, and became a firm friend both to Tony and me, notappearing to harbour any ill-feeling for the way we had treated him. 

I must hurry over my school-boy days. I was not able to carry out myplan of the menagerie the next summer. My uncle, instead of going tohis country house, took us all to the sea-side. I, however, on thatoccasion picked up a good deal of knowledge about vessels and boats, andfish, and marine animals; and instead of a menagerie we had an aquarium, into which we used to put the small fish and other creatures we caughtin the pools on the rocks. I was making an important step in the studyof natural history--gaining the custom of observing the habits ofcreatures. The following year I carried out my long-intended plan, having induced one of my cousins to join me in it. We made severalcages and boxes; and among our captives we numbered a couple of rabbits, a weasel, hedgehog, ferret, and stoat, with a number of pigeons andother birds, and, I may add, three or four snakes. We caught a viper--or, as it is frequently called, an adder--the only venomous creaturewhich exist in England; but my uncle objected to our keeping it alive, though he consented to its being turned into a bottle of spirits. Wekilled another, and cut off its head to observe its poisonous fangs. Ondissecting the head, we found that the fangs exist on either side of theupper jaw, in which they lie down flat towards the throat. They are onhinges, the roots connected with little bags of poison. When thecreature is irritated and about to bite, these fangs rise up. They arehollow, with small orifices at their points. When biting, the roots ofthe fangs are pressed against the bags of poison, which thus exudesthrough the orifices and enters the wound they make. All venomousserpents are provided with fangs, but in the jaws of some species thefangs, instead of lying down, are always erect, ready for action. Thenature of the poison varies in different species. The poison of someproduces paralysis; that of others causes the body when bitten to swelland become putrid. The venom of some is so powerful that it rapidlycourses through the veins and destroys life in a few minutes; that ofothers makes much slower progress. The English viper, or adder, has buta small quantity of poison in its bag, and its bite rarely producesdeath. Some of the smallest snakes, in tropical climes, are the mostvenomous. However, I shall by-and-by have a good deal to say on thesubject. 

From what I have mentioned, it will be understood that I had already gota taste for and some insight into natural history, and when I returnedto school I was able to discourse very learnedly on the subject. Thismade Tony more anxious to carry out our long-projected undertaking. Still, as we were very well treated at school, we had no excuse forrunning away, and put it off from day to day. At length, in truth, webegan to grow wiser, and look at it in a different light. Tony, indeed, one day confided his plan to Houlston. 

"Well, when you make up your mind to go, just tell me, " said Houlston. 

"What I would you go with us?" exclaimed Tony. "That would be capital. With a big fellow like you we should be able to make our way anywhere. "

"Not exactly that, " was the answer. "I'll tell you what I should do, Nyass. As soon as I found that you had started, I should make chaseafter you and bring you back. Depend upon it, it would be the best markof friendship I could show you! Time enough by-and-by--when you havegone through school and been at college, and got a little more knowledgethan you now possess in your heads--to start on such an expedition. Ihave a great notion that I should like to do something of the sortmyself; so, if you ever start on an expedition to South America or anyother part of the world, find me out if you can, and let me know, andthen perhaps I shall be ready to accompany you. "

These sensible remarks of Houlston put Tony completely off his purpose, and we finally agreed to follow the advice of our school-fellow, andwait patiently till we had finished our studies. 

In the meantime I should say that my mother had rejoined my father atQuito. When I first came to England I thought that the time when Ishould leave school was a very long way off. It seemed like a dreamwhen I found myself at last a big fellow of sixteen at the commencementof the summer holidays. There was Ellen, almost a grown-up young lady--in my eyes, at all events--and John, who had been in Uncle James'scounting-house in London, a man with big whiskers. 

"Well, Harry, " said Uncle James, "would you like to go back to school, or accompany John and Ellen to South America? Your father wishes tohave John's assistance, and perhaps you also can make yourself useful. "

Although by this time I found school a far pleasanter place than when Iwas a little boy, yet, as may be supposed, I did not take long todecide. 

"I will accompany John, " I said without hesitation. 

"We shall have to part with you soon, then, I am sorry to say, " observedmy uncle; "for Captain Byles, who still commands the _Inca_, is about tosail for Guayaquil. In consequence of the emancipation of the SpanishSouth American provinces from the iron yoke of the mother country, theirports are now free, and ships of all nations can trade to them, whichwas not the case when you came home. Captain Byles has twice beforebeen to the Pacific, and we have resolved to send the _Inca_ thereagain. He will be very glad to have you as passenger. You must lose notime, therefore, in getting ready. "

I replied very honestly that I was sorry to leave him and aunt andcousins; but, at the same time, I could not help feeling delighted atthe thought of again seeing my father and mother and Fanny, andrevisiting the magnificent scenes which had made so deep an impressionupon my mind, besides being able to indulge on a large scale in thestudy of the natural history of that wonderful region. I did not forgetmy friends, Tony and Arthur Mallet, and as soon as I had time I sat downand wrote to them both. At the end of a week I received the followingreply from Tony:--

"Dear Harry, --Your letter threw me into a state of wild commotion. Youto be actually starting for the country we have so often talked about, while, as far as I could see, I was destined to stick quietly at a deskin my father's counting-house. After thinking the matter over, however, and recollecting how kind and considerate he has always been, Idetermined to show him your letter, and tell him frankly of mylong-cherished wish to go abroad. He talked to me a good deal toascertain whether I was in earnest. `I did not wish to send you fromme, ' he said at last; `but I will now tell you that a few months ago Ireceived a letter from a cousin of mine who has lately established ahouse of business at Para in Brazil, requesting me to send out twosteady lads as clerks, adding that he should be very glad to receive ason of mine if I could spare him. ' I jumped at the idea; for though Ishould have liked to have gone out with you, Harry, yet, as I have nomeans of doing that, I am delighted to go to Para, because, as it is atthe mouth of the Amazon, it is the very place of all others I shouldhave chosen. It is where we proposed going to when we used to talk ofour expedition up the mighty river, and perhaps, after all, we may beable somehow or other to realise those wild fancies of our early days. To be sure, when I come to measure off the distance on the map, which wedid not then think of doing, I find that Quito and Para are a tremendouslong way apart. Still, perhaps some day or other we may be able toaccomplish a meeting. At all events, I told my father that I waswilling to accept our cousin's offer, and at the same time I put in aword for Houlston, from whom I had heard a few days before, telling methat he was looking about for something to do, and ready to do anythingor go anywhere. He has no parents, or brothers or sisters, or any tieto keep him in England. I showed his letter to my father, and told himthat he was a big, strong fellow, and that though I did not much likehim when I was a little fellow, he was greatly improved. My father onthis said he would send for him, and should he possess the necessaryqualifications, he should be very glad to recommend him for theappointment. Houlston came, and as he writes well, and is a good handat arithmetic, and has a fair amount of knowledge on other matters, myfather told me that he would recommend him for the appointment. Thelong and short of the matter is, that Houlston and I are to go up toLondon with my father in a few days, to get our outfits, and to secure apassage by the first vessel sailing for Para or the nearest port to itin Brazil. We shall meet, Harry, and we will then talk matters over, and, I hope, strike out some plan by which we may be able to carry outour early designs, although perhaps not in the same way we formerlyproposed. Houlston sends his kind regards to you, and says he shall bevery happy to meet you again _Adeos, meu amigo_--that is, Good-bye, myfriend. I have lost no time in beginning to learn Portuguese, which isthe language the Brazilians speak, and I intend to work hard at it onthe voyage, so as to be able to talk away in a fashion when I land. --Your sincere old friend, Antony Nyass. "

I was very glad to get this letter, but was much disappointed at nothearing from Arthur. Another day's post, however, brought me a letterfrom him. I should have said that he had left school three monthsbefore, and that I had not since heard from him. His letter was a verysad one. I gathered from it that what he had dreaded had come to pass. His mother was dead, and he was left almost destitute, though he triedto hide from me as much as possible the fact of his poverty. 

I at once made up my mind what to do. I took the letter to my uncle, told him all about Arthur, and entreated that he might be sent out withus in the _Inca_. "I will answer for it that he will amply repay allthe kindness he may receive, " I added. Uncle James said that he wouldconsider the matter, and in the course of the day told me, to my greatsatisfaction, that I might write to Mallet and invite him to come up totown. Arthur lost no time in obeying the summons. My uncle was muchpleased with him, and Arthur gratefully accepted the proposal that heshould accompany us to Quito. 

Two days afterwards Tony and Houlston arrived in London. A ship forPara was on the point of sailing. They had therefore to hurry on theirpreparations. They spent the evening with us at my uncle's, and Johntold me that he liked Houlston very well, and hoped some day to see himagain. Tony he thought a capital fellow--so enthusiastic andwarm-hearted, yet not wanting in sense; but Arthur, as I knew he would, he liked better than either. Tony brought with him a beautiful blackcocker spaniel. "Here, Harry, I want you to accept this fellow as akeepsake from me, " he said, leading the dog up to me. "Pat him on thehead, call him True, and tell him you are going to be his master, and hewill understand you. He can do everything but talk; but though he doesnot often give tongue, he is as brave as a lion. "

I warmly thanked Tony for his gift as I patted True, who jumped up andlicked my hand. "But you want a dog for yourself. I scarcely like totake him from you, " I said. 

"Set your mind at rest; I have his brother--whom I left at ourlodgings--his equal in most respects, if not quite so great a beauty, "he answered. "You will excuse me, I know. I have called my dog`Faithful, ' after you. As I cannot have you with me, I wanted somethingto remind me of you; and faithful I am sure he will prove to me, asyours will prove true to you. "

I thanked Tony for his kind feeling for me, and assured him that Iconsidered it a compliment that he had called his dog after me. 

True was indeed a beauty--a Welsh cocker--somewhat larger than usualperhaps. He came up in his moral qualities to all Tony had said abouthim. He took to me at once, and a true friend he ever proved. Weaccompanied our friends aboard their ship, which was a Portuguese, called the _Vasco da Gama_. She was a fine large vessel. The crew weresmall and swarthy, but active-looking fellows, most of them wearing longred caps on their heads, and blue or pink-striped shirts, with knivesstuck in their girdles. They jabbered and shouted tremendously as theygot under weigh. Tony and Houlston stood on the poop bidding usfarewell. "We shall meet, Harry! we shall meet!" Tony cried out. "Good-bye, Harry; good-bye, Arthur; good-bye, old fellows!"

"Perhaps we shall overtake you on the voyage!" shouted John. 

"Not much fear of that, " answered Houlston. 

We were soon too far off to exchange further words, though we could hearthe voices of the crew even when we had got to a considerable distancefrom the ship. 

CHAPTER TWO. 

OUTWARD BOUND. 

Nearly a week after this we were on board the _Inca_, silently glidingdown the Thames, the only voices heard on board being that of the pilotor the officers who repeated his orders. We had a quick run downChannel, and Captain Byles said he should not be surprised if, afterall, we should reach the Equator before the Portuguese ship. I foundthat several of the crew had been on board when I came to England, Samthe black cook among the number. He was the only one, however, whoremembered Ellen and me. I inquired after my old friend the goat. 

"What! you remember her, Massa Harry!" exclaimed Sam. "Dat good. Goatgone to live on shore; eat fresh grass instead of hay!"

He was well pleased to find that I had remembered the dumb animal, andstill more so that I had not forgotten him. Sam told me that he hadbecome a Christian since I had seen him. I told him I thought that hewas so then. 

"Berry different, Massa Harry, between what is called Christian and realChristian. One night I was on shore, and not knowing where I go, I turninto small chapel where a man talk to de people, and I heard him say, `God lubs you!' He lubs bad man and bad woman, and black man, and brownman, and white man all de same. Him pure, holy God, and no bad, impure, unholy person dwell wid him; and all men ever born unholy, impure, andso dey must all be punished. But he say he let One be punished for deoders, and so him sent his Son into de world to suffer for dem, and datebery one who trust dat Son, and lub him, go free, and come and live widhim for ever and ever. You ask how dat is. Hear God's words: `God soloved de world dat he gave his only-begotten Son, dat whosoeverbelieveth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. ' Oh, he is akind, good, merciful God! Him hear de prayers of all who come unto him. Him no want any one to say prayers for dem; but dey may come boldlyt'rough Jesus Christ, and he hear black man pray, and brown man pray, and leetle child pray, just as well as learned white man; and so when Ihear dis I say, `Dat just de God for me;' and so I go to de minister--dat is de man who was preaching--and he tell me a great deal more; and Igo ebery day I was ashore, and now I bery happy, because I know dat whenI die dere is One who has taken my sins upon himself, who was punishedinstead of me who paid de great debt I owed to God. "

I have tried to give Sam's remarks as nearly as I can in his words. They made a great impression on me; for before I must own that I did notunderstand God's simple plan of salvation. Sam had a Bible, which hewas constantly reading, and delighted to explain to the crew. He hadgained considerable influence with them, and though many were careless, and did not listen to him, all treated him with respect. Captain Bylesspoke in very high terms of Sam, who had, I found, been the means ofbringing home the truth to him. He had prayers every day, when theweather permitted, in his cabin, and a service on the Sunday for thewhale of the crew, while I never heard a harsh or wrong expressionescape his lips. 

"You t'ink, Massa Harry, perhaps, I go into dat chapel by chance, "observed Sam to me one day; "now I t'ink dere is no such t'ing aschance. God orders everyt'ing. He sees us all day and all night long, and orders all for de best. "

I agreed with Sam, and I may say that I never forgot the lessons Ireceived from him. I found great pleasure in listening to him while heread the Bible and explained it in his own somewhat curious way, as faras language was concerned. I had before been accustomed to read theBible as a task, but I now took to reading it with satisfaction andprofit. From others of the crew I learned a good deal of seamanship, especially how to knot and splice, --an art which I found afterwards veryuseful. 

We had been several weeks from England, and had thus far carried thefine weather with us, when clouds appeared in the horizon which soonbegan to rush in dense masses over the sky. The sea, hitherto so calm, tossed and foamed, and the wind howled and shrieked through the rigging. I asked the captain if he thought we were going to have a severe gale. 

"It looks very like it, " he answered, "but we must do our best and trustin God. Once I used to think that while I was doing my best, God wasfighting against me, but now, Harry, I see it the other way. It is agreat thing to feel that the All-Powerful who rules the world is withus. It makes a man far happier and more courageous. "

The crew had gone aloft to furl the sails, and the ship was soon underher three closely-reefed topsails. Still the wind increased, and theseas rose up on either side as if they would overwhelm her. The nightwas coming on. The captain held a consultation with his mates. Thefirst mate and one of the best hands went to the helm. The main andmizzen-topsails were furled, the helm was put up, and the ship was keptaway before the wind. The huge seas followed close astern, roaring andhissing after us. Arthur and I had remained on deck. 

"I must beg you to go below, " said the captain; "for if one of theseseas was to break on board, you might be swept off, and no one couldsave you. " Still, I was very unwilling to obey. John, however, comingon deck, saw the danger we were in, and pulled us down the hatchway. Wefound Ellen in the cabin kneeling at the table with Maria at her side. She had the Bible open, though it was a difficult matter to read by theflickering light of the lamp, which swung backwards and forwards. Still, every now and then, by keeping her finger on a verse, she wasable to catch a few words; while Maria, with her large eyes wide openfixed on her young mistress, was listening eagerly to what she said. Soengaged were they, that neither of them observed our entrance. NowEllen stopped, and I heard her lifting up her voice in prayer for thesafety of the ship and all on board. John and I, making our way to theother side of the table, knelt down likewise. Though she saw us she didnot stop. We remained thus for some time, when a shout from the deckreached us. I could not help rushing up again. John followed me. During the few minutes we had been below the darkness had increased, butat that instant a vivid flash of lightning bursting from the sky, showeda large ship ahead of us. We were running on towards her. Again allwas darkness, and I expected to hear the fearful crash of the two shipsmeeting. Again another flash, followed by a fearful peal of thunder, lighted up the atmosphere. The ship was no longer there, but an objectfloating on the foaming waves. It was a boat full of people. It seemedimpossible that she could live many moments in so fearful a sea. Presently I saw our crew running with ropes to the side. Already thestern of the boat was sinking beneath the waves. There was a thunderingsound, as if a big gun had been fired. Our foresail had burst from thebolt-ropes. We rushed on close to the boat. John, Arthur, and I sprangto the side. Several persons were clinging to the ropes which had beenthrown over to them. We assisted in hauling them up. A sea struck usat that moment, and two were washed away. Three others clung on, andwere partly hauled and partly washed on board; while a dog which wasswimming near them was lifted up by a wave and let directly down on thedeck. We and they had to cling to the bulwarks to save ourselves frombeing carried off to leeward. One of our men, who had let go his holdwhile assisting the strangers, was carried off by the rush of wateracross the deck, and before any one could help him, he was seenstruggling amid the foaming billows astern. On flew the _Inca_ over thespot where the ship had just before been seen. We managed to drag thestrangers to the companion hatch, and, with the assistance of Sam, carried them below, followed by the dog which had been so curiouslysaved with them. True, when he entered the cabin, instead of barking, ran up to him wagging his tail and showing every sign of pleasure. Iobserved how like the two animals were to each other. The mystery wassoon solved. The officers and crew remained on deck to bend anothersail. As the light of the lamp fell on the features of the first personwe got into the cabin, what was my astonishment to recognise my oldfriend Tony Nyass. His surprise at seeing me was equally great. 

"Is Houlston saved?" were the first words he uttered. "He was close tome!"

"Yes, all right!" exclaimed a young man, who, helped by Sam, totteredinto the cabin. It was Houlston himself, though I should not have knownhim, so pale and scared did he look. The third was one of the mates ofthe Portuguese ship. 

"And Faithful, too, " cried Tony, kneeling down and embracing his dog. "My old fellow, I am indeed very glad you have escaped. " Faithfulseemed as well pleased as his master; and True knew him at once, andwelcomed him by leaping up to lick his face, though as he did so theship gave a tremendous roll, and over he tumbled to the other side ofthe cabin. 

I need not say how thankful we were that the lives of our oldschool-fellows had been preserved. They were shivering with cold, so, taking them into our cabin, we got off their wet clothes and put them tobed. Tony then told me that after the commencement of the gale, theship had sprung a leak, and that though the crew had behaved very well, and stood manfully to the pumps, the water could not be got under. Whenit was found that the ship must go down, the boats were prepared. Heand Houlston, with the second mate and several of the crew, had got intoone of them, and shoved clear of the ship just as she sank; but theother, he was afraid, had been immediately overwhelmed; indeed, itseemed scarcely possible that any boat could have lived many minutes inthe heavy sea then running. It was wonderful that the boat he was inhad remained long enough afloat to allow our ship to get near her. 

During the whole of that night the hurricane blew as hard as ever, wecontinuing to run before it. Every moment I expected to hear that theship had sprung a leak, and that we should have to share the fate of theunfortunate _Vasco da Gama_. We were dreadfully knocked about. Ourbulwarks were stove in, and two of our boats carried away. We lost ourtopmasts, and received other damage; but the stout old ship stillbattled bravely with the seas. As the morning broke the wind began toabate. By noon the sun was shining brightly, and the sea had gone muchdown. 

"Perhaps, after all, " observed Tony, "we shall go round the Cape withyou to Quito, and then have to find our way down the Amazon to Para, asI suppose that will then be the shortest road there. "

"I am afraid, young gentleman, you would find that a very long road, "observed Captain Byles. "As the ship requires repairs, I must run intoRio de Janeiro, and from thence you will more easily get to Para, thoughI should have been very happy to have had your company round Cape Horn. "

Tony was much disappointed on hearing this. We had still a long runbefore us, and the prospect of Tony and Houlston's company on board formany days. The Portuguese mate, Mr Lima, had friends at Para, and heundertook to assist Houlston and Tony in getting there. He was a verywell-mannered, amiable man, and as he spoke a little English, we wereable to converse together. He gave me much information regarding theBrazils, which is by far the largest country in South America. Althougha very small portion only is cultivated, it is also the richest both invegetable and mineral wealth. He told me of its magnificent forests, its plantations of coffee and tobacco, and certain of its valleys, insome of which gold in abundance is found, and in others diamonds ofextraordinary value. 

"What do you say, Harry--shall we go and hunt for them?" exclaimed Tonywhen he heard this. 

Mr Lima laughed. "The Government are too wide-awake to allow you to dothat, " he observed. "No one is allowed to go into that part of thecountry except those employed in collecting the diamonds; but I willtell you one thing, it is the poorest part of the Brazils. If the samenumber of people who are engaged in collecting the diamonds wereemployed in cultivating the waste ground, the country would, I believe, be far richer. However, perhaps my friends here may obtain permissionto visit the mines, and if so, I dare say they will some day give you anaccount of them. "

Of course Tony said he would do so. If he was fortunate enough to getthere. 

When the weather grew fine we passed our time very pleasantly, for wehad a number of interesting books, especially of natural history, inwhich we old school-fellows fortunately took great delight. Houlstonand Tony had agreed to make collections of objects of natural historywhen they were settled at Para, and as they had lost all their ownbooks, I gave them some of mine, as there was little prospect of theirgetting any at Rio de Janeiro--so the captain told us. At length onemorning, just at sunrise, when I went on deck to enjoy the cool air, Iheard the shout of "Land!" and looking out, I saw a line of bluemountains rising out of the water. The breeze carried us quicklytowards them, and in a short time we could distinguish a lofty height, shaped like a sugar-loaf, which stands at the south side of the entranceinto the harbour of Rio. A little to the left rose three peaks, whichMr Lima, the Portuguese mate, called the _Tres Irmaos_, or the "ThreeBrothers, " with the lofty peak of Corcovado a little further south. Onthe right of the entrance we could distinguish the white walls of thefortress of Santa Cruz, which commands it, with another range ofmountains rising above it, and terminating in a bold, lofty promontory, known as Cape Frio, while far beyond towered up the blue outline of thedistant Organ Mountains. We sailed on, passing between the loftyheights I have described, being hailed, as we glided under the frowningguns of Santa Cruz, by a stentorian voice, with various questions as towho we were, whence we came, our object in entering the port, to all ofwhich Captain Byles replied through his speaking-trumpet. It would bedifficult to describe the beautiful scene in which we now foundourselves, --curious-shaped canoes and boats of all rigs, manned byhalf-naked blacks, sailing about, and a number of vessels at anchor inthe vast harbour; numerous white forts, backed by picturesque hillsrising above them, covered with the richest verdure, and villagespeeping forth here and there in beautiful little bays; while higher upthe bay the vast city appeared, extending for miles along its irregularshore, and running back almost to the foot of the Tijuca Mountains, withhills and heights in every direction. In the midst of this scene wedropped our anchor under the frowning fortress of Villegagnon, the firstcastle erected by Europeans in that region. 

I cannot hope to convey by words a correct idea of the beauty of thescenery or the magnificence of the harbour. All visitors agree that itis one of the finest in the world. We went on shore, and were verykindly received by an English merchant--the correspondent of the houseto which the _Inca_ belonged. John and I were anxious to help Tony andHoulston as far as we had the power, but our new friend undertook tosupply their wants, and to enable them to reach Para by the first vesselsailing for that port. 

I will not attempt to describe Rio fully. It is a large city, withheights rising about in various parts, covered with buildings. Most ofthe streets are very narrow, the architecture very unlike anything I hadseen in England. Numbers of priests; gangs of slaves, carrying loads;ladies in black hoods reaching to the feet, called mantilhas; gentlemenin cloaks; soldiers on foot and on horseback, were moving about in alldirections. We made a few interesting excursions in the neighbourhoodof the city, and several expeditions about the bay. 

Captain Byles was, of course, anxious to proceed on his voyage, andtherefore used all expedition in getting the ship ready for sea. We, however, had time to make one long excursion with our new friend to theOrgan Mountains, which we could see from the bay in the far distance. Iwas sorry that Ellen could not go, as it was considered that the tripwould be too fatiguing for her. We sailed up to the head of the bay formany miles in a pleasure-vessel belonging to our friend, sleeping onboard the first night. Early the next morning we started on mulestowards the mountains. The air was most delicious, pure, though warm, and the scenery very beautiful, as we made our way among heights coveredwith a great variety of tropical trees and creepers bearing magnificentflowers. Among them were the tall, gently-curved palmetto, elegant treeferns, unsurpassed by any of their neighbours in beauty, fuchsias intheir native glory, passion-flowers, and wild vines, hanging in gracefulfestoons, and orchids with their brilliant red spikes. As we passedthrough the valley we saw directly before us the mountains we were aboutto visit, and from their shape we agreed that they were well called theOrgan Mountains; for as we then saw them, the centre height especiallywore the appearance of a huge organ. "A grand instrument that, " saidTony, "such as I suppose an angel might choose to sound forth the musicof the spheres. "

We wound our way up amid the tame beautiful and wild scenery till wereached the summit, whence we enjoyed a magnificent view over thesurrounding country, with Rio and the blue ocean in the far distance. We had not come without provisions, nor had the scenery taken away ourappetites. We had also brought our guns, and led by our friend, westarted off on foot in search of game. We had gone some distance, when, as we were approaching one of the numerous pools of dear water which arefound even in the higher parts of the Organ Mountains, our friendstopped us and pointed towards a large tree, beneath the shade of whosewide-spreading boughs lay a creature apparently asleep. At first Ithought he was a large horse or hornless cow, but as we crept closer toit, and could see the shape of its head, I discovered that it was a verydifferent animal. "That is a tapir--the largest wild animal we have inSouth America, " whispered our friend. As we approached the animal gotup and looked about. We remained perfectly quiet, to examine it atleisure. It appeared to be nearly four feet in height, and perhaps sixin length, the colour a deep brown, almost black. It had a stiff mane, and a very short stumpy tail, while its body appeared destitute of hair. It was not so, however, as I afterwards found; but the hair could notbe perceived in consequence of being closely depressed to the surface. Its legs were short and thick, and its feet of great size. The head wasunlike that of any other animal I had ever seen. It was very long, andthe upper lip or snout was lengthened into a kind of proboscis, whichlooked as if it might grow up into the trunk of an elephant. We were toleeward of the animal, but it quickly discovered us, and began to moveoff, when Faithful and True rushed forward, barking vehemently. Houlston fired, but the shot bounded off the tapir's thick shield-likehide, and away it went dashing through the dense underwood with a forcewhich broke down the shrubs opposing its progress. We had greatdifficulty in getting back our brave little dogs. They returned atlength, panting with their exertions. Fortunately the tapir wasfrightened, or they would have found him more than a match for them. Our friend told us that it has four toes on its front feet, and three onthe hinder ones, cased with horn. It manages with its flexible upperlip to tear away the leaves and to pick up the water-melons and gourdswhich it finds when it goes forth at night in search of food. However, it is in no way particular, being almost as omnivorous as the hog. Itssenses of smell and hearing are very acute. Its eyes, though, are smalland its ears short. Its voice is a shrill kind of whistle, such as onewould not expect to proceed from an animal of such massive bulk. It isextremely fond of the water, and delights in floundering about in themud. It can swim and dive also admirably, and will often remainunderneath the surface for many minutes together, and then rising for afresh supply of air, plunge down again. It indeed appears to be almostas amphibious as the hippopotamus, and has consequently been called_Hippopotamus terrestris_. 

We all laughed at Houlston's ill success. It was the first attempt, Ibelieve, he had ever made at shooting. 

"The aim was not bad though, " observed Tony, "and if the hide had beensoft, the shot would have gone into it. "

"It was a good large object, however, to aim at, " said John. "A bulletwould have been more effectual in bringing the creature to the ground. "

"I am not quite so certain of that, " observed our friend, "for its toughhide is almost bullet-proof. "

Houlston stood our bantering very good-naturedly, and managed in thecourse of the day to bring down a couple of birds. "You see, I improveby practice, " he observed; "and one of these days I may turn out adead-shot. "

I have described the tapir here as it was the first I met, but Iafterwards had better opportunities of observing the animal. As soon asour mules had rested we commenced our return, as our friend could not belong absent from Rio. We were at length once more on board the _Inca_. 

Tony and Houlston expected to start with the Portuguese mate for thenorth in the course of two or three days, and they promised to send mean account of their adventures as soon as possible on their arrival atPara. The _Inca_ appeared once more in fit trim to encounter any stormwe might meet with in our passage round Cape Horn. At first the weatherwas very lovely; but as we were running down the coast of Patagonia aheavy gale sprang up from the southward, which threatened to drive usback again. Fortunately a sheltering bay was near at hand. Runninginto it, the ship was brought to an anchor, and we there lay as calmlyas if no storm was raging without. The country, however, was wild anddesolate in appearance. I should have thought no human beings wouldhave been found on it, but on looking through our glasses we observed anumber moving about, some on horseback, others on foot, apparentlywatching us. "Are you inclined to go on bore, gentlemen?" said thecaptain to us. Of course we replied Yes. Ellen begged that she mightgo likewise. We objected, fearing that she might be exposed to danger. "She will be perfectly safe, " answered Captain Byles; "for though thepeople on shore are not very prepossessing, I have always found themperfectly harmless. We will, however, carry our muskets, and the crewshall be armed likewise. "

We were soon on shore, proceeding over the rough ground towards thenatives. They seeing Ellen and Maria in our midst, advanced withoutfear. They halted, however, at a little distance from us, when we putout our hands and walked towards them. They were big, stout men of abrown complexion, with long black hair hanging down their necks. Theironly dress consisted of skins fastened across their shoulders, leavingbare their enormous limbs. When we put out our hands they put outtheirs. 

"Good day, my friends, " said Captain Byles. 

"Good day, " exclaimed the savages in almost the same tone. 

"Hillo! what, do you speak English?" cried Arthur. 

"Hillo! what, do you speak English?" echoed the Patagonians. 

"Of course I do, " answered Arthur. 

"Of course I do, " said the natives. 

Indeed, whatever words we uttered they repeated. We on this burst intofits of laughter, our new acquaintances doing the same, as if we haduttered a capital joke. They beat us, however, at that, for though westopped, they continued laughing--ay right heartily. At all events theyknew what that meant. Friendship was thus speedily established. Pointing to their skin tents at no great distance, supported on poles, and in shape like those of gipsies, but rather larger, they seemed toinvite us to them. We accordingly accompanied them. In front of thetents sat a number of women. They differed somewhat from the men, byhaving more ample robes of skin, and their hair bound by fillets roundtheir heads. They were, however, very unprepossessing-looking ladies. They all seemed to regard Ellen with looks of astonishment now gazing ather, now at her black attendant, and were evidently discussing amongthemselves how it was that they were of such different colours. We sawa number of horses scattered about the plain, and several of the menwere riding backwards and forwards armed with bows, and having at theirbacks large quivers full of arrows, and small round shields. The womenwere broiling meat at fires before the tents. They offered us some, andfrom the bones and feathers scattered about, we concluded that it wasthe flesh of the ostrich, which bird inhabits in large numbers the vastplains of Patagonia. Savage as they looked, they evidently wished totreat us civilly, for they spread some skins on the ground inside one oftheir tents, and signed to us to take our seats on them. To please themwe ate a little of the food they set before us, although I must saytheir style of cookery was not attractive. After we had sat for sometime, they continuing to imitate everything we said or did, we took astroll round the encampment. We had not gone far when a large grey birdwith a long neck and long legs, having three toes on its feet, stalkedup to us, and putting out its head, grunted in our faces. Arthur and Itook off our hats and made it a bow in return, greatly to the amusementof the Patagonians, who burst into loud fits of laughter at the joke. We recognised the bird at once as the _Rhea Americana_, or Americanostrich. As we did not retreat, it uttered a sharp hiss, and thenpoised itself as if it was about to attack us, and so I think it wouldhave done, had not the natives driven it away. It was about five feethigh, the neck completely feathered, the back of a dark hue, with theplumes of the wings white. It is said that the male bird takes care ofthe eggs which several hens lay scattered about on the sand. He sweepsthem together with his feet into a hollow, which serves as a nest, sitsto hatch them, and accompanies the young till they are able to lookafter themselves. On such occasions he will attack a man on horsebackwho approaches his charges, and will leap up and try to kick him. 

Captain Byles now told us it was time to return on board. Weaccordingly shook hands and made our way towards the boat. The people, however, began to assemble round us in considerable numbers. Thecaptain therefore ordered us all to keep together and to hurry on, without, however, showing any signs of fear. I was very thankful, forEllen's sake, when at last we reached the boat in safety. Whether thenatives had thought of attempting to stop us or not, I do not know. Perhaps they only purposed to do us honour by thus accompanying us tothe beach. We agreed that though the men at first looked gigantic, yetthis was owing probably to their style of dress; and the captain was ofopinion that very few of them were much above six feet. He told me thatthey live chiefly on flesh--that of horses, or emus, or guanacoes (aspecies of llama), and any other animal they can catch. We did notventure on shore again; and after waiting a few days, once more put tosea. I thought that these natives were about as savage in appearance asany people could be. I discovered, however, shortly afterwards, thatthere are other people sunk still lower in the scale of humanity. 

Captain Byles purposed running through the Straits of Magellan. Just, however, as we were entering them, a strong south westerly gale sprangup, which prevented us from making the attempt. We accordingly stoodinto a sheltered bay in Terra del Fuego. The shore looked veryinhospitable--dark rocks rose up at a little distance from the water andseemed to form a barrier between the sea and the interior. There were afew trees, all stunted and bending one way as if forced thus by thewind. Still, John and Arthur and I had a fancy for visiting the shore, in the hope of obtaining some wild fowl. Having landed with one of themates and True, we took our way along the shores of the bay till wearrived at some high rocks. Over these we climbed. On descending, wefound ourselves on the side of an inlet. We had reached the shore, whenheavy showers of snow began to fall, driven against our faces by thesharp wind. We were about, therefore, to turn back, when we saw severalfigures moving at a little distance. Curious to see the natives, whichwe concluded these were, in spite of the snow we pushed on. We advancedcautiously, keeping a much as possible behind the rocks till we were ata short distance from them. We were thus able to observe them before wewere discovered. They were wild-looking savages. Their colour was thatof mahogany or rusty iron; their dresses, skins loosely wrapped roundthem and very scanty. One fellow was seated on the side of a canoe witha couple of dogs near him; while a woman, perhaps his wife, sat at alittle distance, crouching on the ground, covered by her skin robe. Assoon as they discovered us, instead of approaching as the Patagonianshad done, they sat stupidly gazing at us, lost apparently inastonishment. They did not, however, exhibit any sign of alarm as wewalked up to them. At length they got up, shouting out some words andpatting their breasts, which we concluded was a sign of friendship. Their dogs snarled at True and he barked in return, and I had to holdhim tight to prevent his flying at them. Perhaps they understood eachother better than we did the ill-favoured curs' masters or their mastersdid us. Still the greeting did not sound amicable. The natives weresmall, thin, and dirty in the extreme. Their weapons were bows andarrows. The only habitations we could see were wretched lean-tos, justcapable of sheltering them from the wind. Having an old clasp-knife inmy pocket, I presented it to the chief, who received it with evidentsigns of satisfaction. As there was no inducement to hold furtherintercourse with him, we returned by the way we had come, without havingseen a single bird near enough to shoot. 

"Yet, Harry, those people have souls, destined to live for ever, " saidArthur, in answer to a remark I made that they were little better thanbrutes. "Don't you think if the gospel were taken to them it would haveits never-failing effect? I will speak to Captain Byles on the subjectwhen we get on board. "

He did so. Long since then several noble Christian missionaries visitedthat benighted region. Some perished, but others are still labouring tomake known the glad tidings of salvation to the rude inhabitants ofPatagonia and Terra del Fuego. 

Finding it impossible to pass through the Straits, we had to go roundCape Horn. A couple of weeks, however, elapsed before we were clearinto the Pacific. After this we had a quick run, and once more thelofty summits of the Cordilleras greeted our eyes. Though I was but ayoung child when I had last seen them, so deep was the impression theyhad made on me that I recognised them at once. 

CHAPTER THREE. 

A JOURNEY ACROSS THE CORDILLERAS. 

At length the _Inca_ was at anchor off the city of Guayaquil. I had afaint recollection of its appearance, with Chimborazo's snow-capped dometowering up in the distance. Ellen, who had forgotten all about beingthere, was delighted with the scenery. Guayaquil is situated at themouth of the river Guayas--the largest on the Pacific coast. On goingon shore, however, we were somewhat disappointed, as the buildings, though grand at a distance, have a tumbledown appearance, partly owingto the earthquakes to which they are subjected, and partly to thecarelessness of the inhabitants in repairing them. We had great hopesof meeting our father, but his correspondents in the city had not heardfrom him for some time. The country, we found, was in a very unsettledstate, owing to which, probably, he had not come down from Quito. Webade farewell to our kind captain and the crew of the _Inca_. 

Some time before, Peru, Chili, and the other Spanish provinces of SouthAmerica had thrown off their allegiance to the mother country, formingthemselves into republics. Their government, however, especially in thenorthern provinces, had been as yet far from well established. Disturbances were continually occurring, preventing the progress of thecountry. First one party took up arms to overthrow another inauthority, and in a short time those who had been superseded played thesame trick to those who had stepped into their places. 

We lost no time in making preparations for our journey, the first partof which was to be performed on board a boat, --seventy miles up theriver to Bodegas. We were there to engage mules to proceed over themountains to Quito, of the difficulties of which journey I had someslight recollection. 

We spent two days at Guayaquil. Had we not been anxious about ourfather and the rest of our family, we should have been well amused. From the balcony of our house we had a magnificent view of the toweringrange of the Andes seen from the east of us, and extending like a mightywall north and south. Far away on the left, and fully a hundred milesoff, appeared the mighty Chimborazo, whose snow-capped summit, risingfar above its fellows, formed a superb background to the range of lessermountains and grand forests which cover the intermediate space. I havebefore mentioned the delicious fruits that may be found in abundance inthe city; and I described the curious balsas, on board of which thenatives navigate the coasts and rivers. We all supplied ourselves withstraw hats, such as are shipped in great numbers from this place underthe name of Panama hats. They are made from the leaves of anarborescent plant about five feet high, resembling the palm called_toquilla_. The leaf grows on a three-cornered stalk, and is about ayard long. It is slit into shreds, and after being immersed in boilingwater is bleached in the sun. The plaiting is very fine, and the hat isso flexible that it can be turned inside out, or rolled up and put intothe pocket. It is impenetrable to rain and very durable. The chiefexport from the place are chinchona, tobacco, orchilla weed, hides, cotton, coffee, and cacao. 

Our friends, we found, were anxious about the difficulties we mightencounter on our journey, on account of the disturbed state of thecountry. They advised us, indeed, to postpone our departure till ourfather's arrival, or till we should hear from him. The thought, however, that he and our mother and sister might be exposed to dangermade us the more desirous of proceeding; and at length our friends--against their better judgment, they assured us--concluded thearrangements for our journey. We were seated taking coffee the eveningbefore we were to start, with the magnificent scene I have describedbefore us, when a stranger was ushered into the room. He wore over hisshoulders a gay-coloured poncho, and held a broad-brimmed hat in hishand. His breeches were of dark cloth, open at the knee, and he had onembroidered gaiters, and huge spurs, with rowels the size of acrown-piece. His jet-black hair, which hung over his shoulders, hisreddish-olive complexion, dark eyes, and somewhat broad face, though hisfeatures were in other respects regular and handsome, told us at oncethat he was a native Peruvian. Our friends saluted him as Don Jose. Headdressed us in a kind tone, and told us that, having heard we wereabout to proceed to Quito, as he was also going in that direction, andmight be of service, he should be happy to accompany us. Our friends atonce replied that we would thankfully accept his offer, and allarrangements were quickly made. We were glad to obtain so intelligent acompanion. His kind and gentle manner at once gained our confidence, and though his dress and appearance were those of ordinary Indians ofthe upper class, he looked like one accustomed to receive the respect ofhis fellow-men. That he was no common person we were sure. Why he tookthe interest in us which he evinced we could not tell. John and Italked the matter over, and at length, recollecting that our father'smother was of Indian descent, we came to the conclusion that besidesbeing a friend of our father, he was connected by the ties of blood withour family. Still, from the way our friend spoke, there appeared to besome mystery about him; but they did not offer to enlighten us, norcould we with propriety ask them, he also was evidently not inclined tobe communicative about himself. 

Next morning at daylight we went on board our boat. In the centre wasan awning, or _toldo_, which served as a cabin. The crew, consisting ofeight native Indians, urged her on with long broad-bladed oars when thewind was contrary, while their chief or captain stood astern and steeredwith another. When the wind was favourable a large sail was hoisted, and we glided rapidly up the river. The banks are beautifully green, and covered with an exuberant growth of many varieties of trees; indeed, the plains on either side vie in richness of vegetation with any otherspot between the tropics. Several times we cut off bends of the riverby narrow canals, the branches of the trees, interwoven by numberlesscreepers, which hung down in festoons covered with brilliant blossoms, forming a dense canopy over our heads. Although the stream is sluggish, we were unable to reach Bodegas that night. We stopped therefore at thehouse of a gentleman engaged in the cultivation of cacao. The tree onwhich it grows somewhat resembles a lilac in size and shape. The fruitis yellowish-red, and oblong in shape, and the seeds are enveloped in amass of white pulp. It is from the seeds that chocolate is prepared. The flowers and fruits grow directly out of the trunk and branches. Cacao--or, as we call it, cocoa--was used by the Mexicans before thearrival of the Spaniards. It was called by them _chocolatt_, fromwhence we derive the name of the compound of which it is the chiefingredient--chocolate. So highly was it esteemed, that Linnaeus thoughtit worthy of the name of _theobroma_--"food for gods. " The tree israised from seed, and seldom rises higher than from twenty to thirtyfeet; the leaves are large, oblong, and pointed. It is an evergreen, and bears fruits and blossoms all the year round. The fruits arepointed oval pods, six inches long, and contain in five compartmentsfrom twenty-five to thirty seeds or kernels, enveloped in a white pithypulp with a sweet taste. These seeds when dried form the cocoa ofcommerce, from which the beverage is made and chocolate is manufactured. There are three harvests in the year, when the pods are pulled from thetrees and gathered into baskets. They are then thrown into pits andcovered with sand, where they remain three or four days to get rid of, by fermentation, a strong bitter flavour they possess. They are thencarefully cleaned and dried in large flat trays in the sun. After thisthey are packed in sacks for the market. Our friend in the morningshowed us some blossoms which had burst forth from the roots during thenight, which happened to be somewhat damp and warm--an example of theexpansive powers of vegetable life in that region. An oil is extractedfrom another species of cacao, the nut of which is small and white. Itis called cacao-butter, and is used by the natives for burns and soresand cutaneous diseases. A large quantity of cacao for the manufactureof chocolate is exported to Spain. Among the trees were numbers of thebroad-leaved plantain and banana, which had been planted to protect theyoung cacao trees from the heat of the sun. The fruit of the banana, one of the most useful productions of the Tropics, is eaten raw, roasted, boiled, and fried. It grows in large bunches, weighing fromsixty to seventy pounds each. 

Continuing our voyage the next day, we passed amid groves of oranges andlemons, whose rich perfume was wafted across the water to us. Here alsothe mango, bearing a golden fruit, spread around its splendid foliage;while, above all, the beautiful cocoanut palm lifted its superb head. Now and then we saw monkeys gambolling among the trees, as well as manybirds of brilliant plumage. Among others, a beautiful bird got up froma bed of reeds we were passing, spreading wide its wings and broad taildirectly before us. John shot it, and the small canoe we sent to pickit up. It was about the size of a partridge, with a crane-like bill, aslender neck, and shorter legs than ordinary waders, though a wader itwas. The plumage was shaded curiously in bands and lines with brown, fawn-colour, red, grey, and black, which Ellen said reminded her of asuperb moth she had seen. It was the caurale, or sun-bird (_ScolopaxHelios_), our books told us, found also in Demerara. Less attractive inappearance were the gallinazos, or vultures, the scavengers of thoseregions; while frequently on the mud banks we caught sight of alligatorsbasking in the hot sun, often fast asleep, with their mouths wide open. 

We reached Bodegas early in the day. It is a large village, built on aflat. In the rainy season it is so completely flooded that the peoplehave to take refuge in the upper stories of their houses. Thanks to ourfriend Don Jose, and the exertions of his chief attendant, Isoro, muleswere quickly procured; and as the attractions of Bodegas were not great, we immediately set off towards the mountains. John called Isoro DonJose's henchman. He was, like his master, of pure Indian blood, but ofnot so high a type. Still, he was good-looking, active, andintelligent. His dress differed only from that of Don Jose in being ofcoarser materials. We were at once struck with the respect and devotionwith which Isoro treated his master, and with the confidence Don Joseevidently reposed in him. We had a journey before us of two hundredmiles, which would occupy eight or ten days. The first village wepassed through was built high up off the ground on stilts, for in therainy season the whole country is completely flooded. After passing thegreen plain, we entered a dense forest. Road, I should say, there wasnone. Nothing, it seemed to me, could surpass the rich luxuriance ofthe vegetation. On either side were numerous species of palms, theirlight and feathery foliage rising among the other trees; bananas, withtheir long, glossy, green leaves; and here and there groves of theslender and graceful bamboo, shooting upwards for many feet straight asarrows, their light leaves curling over towards their summits; whileorchids of various sorts, many bearing rich-coloured flowers, entwinedthemselves like snakes round the trunks and branches. Don Jose told usthat in the rainy season this road is flooded, and that then the canoetakes the place of mules. 

We put up the first night at a _tambo_, or road-side inn, a bamboo hutof two stories, thatched with plantain leaves. As the lower part wasoccupied by four-footed animals, we had to climb into the upper story bymeans of a couple of stout bamboos with notches cut in them. We herehung up our hammocks, and screened off a part for Ellen and Maria. Nextday we began to ascend the mountains by the most rugged of paths. Sometimes we had to wind up the precipice on a narrow ledge, scarcelyaffording footing to the mules. It was trying to the nerves, for whileon one side rose a perpendicular wall of rock, on the other theprecipice went sheer down for several hundred feet, with a roaringtorrent at the bottom. Wild rocks were before and above us, trees andshrubs, however, growing out of every crevice and on each spot wheresoil could rest, while behind spread out a wide extent of forest, amidwhich we could distinguish the river winding its way to the Pacific. Few birds or beasts were to be seen--the monkeys and parrots we had leftbelow us; gallinazos, or black vultures, were, however, still met with, as they are everywhere throughout the continent, performing theirgraceful evolutions in the air, wheeling round and round without closingtheir wings, in large flocks, above the watery region we had left. Theblack vulture (_Cathartes atratus_), which closely resembles thewell-known turkey buzzard in habits and appearance, performs, like it, the duty of scavenger, and is protected therefore by the inhabitants ofall parts of the country. It may be distinguished from the latter bythe form of the feathers on the neck, which descend from the back of thehead towards the throat in a sloping direction; whereas the turkeybuzzard has a frill of them completely round the throat. The head andpart of the neck of the black vulture are destitute of feathers, and arecovered with a black wrinkled skin, on which a few hairs only grow. "See, what grand fellows are these!" exclaimed Arthur. I gazed up. Ona rock close above us stood a couple of large birds, which wereunmistakably vultures. 

"Dreadful-looking creatures, " cried Ellen. "They make me shudder. Theyseem as if preparing to pounce down on some little innocent lambs tocarry them off. "

"It would prefer a dead mule, I suspect, " observed John. "Like othervultures, it is not nice as to the nature of its food. It is called theKing of the Vultures (_Sarcoramphus papa_), properly so, for it is thestrongest and bravest of the vulture tribe though inferior in size tothe condor. Observe its head and neck, brilliantly coloured withscarlet and yellow to make amends for the want of feathers. On thecrown of its head, too, is a rich scarlet patch. Close to the eye thereis a silvery blue mark, and above it part of the skin is blue and partscarlet. The bill is orange and black, and those curious lumps orcarbuncles on its forehead are rich orange. At the lower part of theneck it wears a black ruff. The wing feathers and tail are black, andthe lower part of the body white, and the rest a fine grey satincolour. "

While John was speaking, the birds, spreading out their huge wings, glided off the rock, and then by an imperceptible movement of themsoared upwards, and, hovering for a few seconds in the air, they darteddownwards into the plain, and were lost to sight. 

"You need not be afraid of their attacking any living creature, SenoraEllen, " observed Don Jose. "They have no relish for meat till it hasgained a higher flavour than we should like, and dead lizards and snakesare much to their taste. Even those they discover, I believe, rather bysight than by scent. "

We had been proceeding along a somewhat broader part of the road thanusual, though, as it was very steep, we climbed but slowly. Nowrounding a sharp point, we came to a spot which made me wonder if thoseahead could possibly have got by; and I could not help gazing anxiouslydownwards, almost expecting to find that some one had fallen over theprecipice. Ellen kept up her courage admirably, and never hesitated tofollow where others led. I could not help asking once if she did notfeel afraid. "No, " she answered. "I always look upwards when I come toa difficult place, and so pass without alarm. " Ellen's plan is theright one, metaphorically speaking, to adopt in all the difficulties andtrials of life: look upwards, and we shall be carried safely throughthem. On we went till we found ourselves among a chaos of mountains, separated by ravines so deep that the eye could scarcely distinguish therapid streams which found their way below. On one side rose into theclear blue sky the majestic summit of Chimborazo, while other peaked andround-topped mountains reared their heads proudly around. At length thesummit of the sierra was reached, and our mules commenced a descent intothe valley, drawing their legs together and sliding down with fearfulvelocity. I had bean anxious before, I was doubly so now; but theanimals with wonderful sagacity kept the centre of the path, and in timeI lost all sensation of fear, and could admire the beautiful scenery. 

The tambos, or road-side inns, we stopped at were mostly huts of therudest kind, with mud walls and floors, kept by Indians, and dirty inthe extreme. The entertainment provided for us was boiled chicken andpotato-soup, called in the mountains _locro_. Wooden spoons were servedto enable us to ladle up the soup, but our fingers had to be used forthe chicken, instead of knives and forks. 

We seldom had an opportunity while on mule-back of exchanging thoughtsexcept at the top of our voices, as in most places we were compelled totravel in Indian file, one following the other. We were once moreascending the steep side of the mountain, when, on rounding a point, wesaw coming towards us a single traveller. As he caught sight of us hestopped his mule, and made signs for us to come on toward the spot wherethe greater width of the road would allow us to pass him. As we got upto him I saw that he was a negro, dressed in the usual poncho andbroad-brimmed hat of the traveller in the Andes. Don Jose, John, andArthur had ridden by, when the stranger's eye fell on Maria. 

"It must be, after all!" I heard him exclaim in Spanish. "Maria! yes, it is you! Si, _si_, and I rejoice greatly. "

"And you are Domingos; I am sure you are, " exclaimed Maria. 

"Yes, that is true, " answered the old man. "I have come expressly tofind you. I have brought bad news; but it might be worse, so be notalarmed. "

"What is it?" I asked eagerly. "Are my father, or mother, or sisterill?"

"No; they are all well, " said Domingos; "but sad events have occurred atQuito. There has been a great disturbance--a revolution--no new thingunhappily; and your father's house has been burned down, and they havehad to fly, and try to escape from the country. They are safe by thistime, I hope. I came on to conduct you to them. I have been ridingfast to try and meet you to prevent you taking the direct road to Quito. A body of troops are marching along the road, and if you were to fallinto their hands you would be ill-treated. We will descend somedistance by the way you have come, and take shelter in yonder forestwhich clothes the side of the mountain. We shall be safe there, and Idoubt not obtain shelter in one of the huts of the chinchona gatherers. "

Domingos had given me this account in a few hurried words. I instantlycalled to the rest of our party who were ahead, and we were all sooncollected in a nook in the side of the mountain, where we held aconsultation as to what should be done. We quickly agreed to follow theadvice of Domingos. Don Jose was greatly agitated at hearing what hadoccurred. 

"They would treat me with but scant ceremony, were I to fall into theirhands, " he observed; "and I am afraid that you would suffer also were Ito be found in your company. However, we may easily escape in theforest should any search be made for us, and therefore let us lose notime in seeking its shelter. "

While he was speaking, I caught sight of some figures high up themountain, at a point round which the path wound its way. I pointed themout to Domingos. 

"They are the soldiers, " he exclaimed; "I see the glitter of their arms!We have no time to lose. Move on, my friends, move on! If we wereovertaken it would fare hard with us. "

Don Jose, who had also been looking towards the point, made us a sign tofollow, and rapidly led the way down the side of the mountain, ournative muleteers being evidently as anxious to avoid the soldiers as wewere. The Indians had, it appeared, taken an active part in theinsurrection which had just broken out, and our guides knew, therefore, that, should they be caught, the party in power would very likely wreaktheir vengeance on their heads. 

We descended for a considerable distance along the path by which we hadcome. Occasionally looking back, I caught sight of the troops as theywound their way in a thin column down the mountain. We, however, appeared to be keeping well ahead of them; and I hoped that our smallparty might have escaped observation. At length Don Jose stopped, andgetting off his mule, surveyed the side of the hill which sloped awaybelow us. Coming back, he took the bridle of his mule, and made it leapoff the path on one side on to what appeared a mere ledge of rock. "Come on, " he shouted; "I will show you the way; but you must alldismount and follow the mules on foot. " We accordingly got off ouranimals, which were made to leap down to the ledge below us, andwillingly followed the first mule, which Don Jose was leading. John andI took charge of Ellen, while Domingos helped Maria along. The path wasvery narrow and steep, but where the mules had gone we had little doubtthat we could follow. In a short time we found ourselves descending bya zig-zag path among trees which grew out of the side of the mountain, here and there huge blocks of rock projecting among them. Thus we wenton for a considerable distance. Once when we stopped I looked upwards, and caught sight of the head of the column of troops just as they werereaching the very place we had left. At length we reached the bottom ofthe valley, through which a stream went foaming and roaring downwardsover a rocky bed. The mountains rose up on either side, completelysurrounding us. "This stream will be a safe guide, " observed Don Jose;"and if we proceed along its banks, we shall reach a spot where we canremain concealed even should a whole regiment come in search of us. " Weproceeded on foot some distance, the active mules leaping from rock torock, while we scrambled on after them. Sometimes we could withdifficulty get round the rugged points at the foot of which the streamforced its way, while the cliffs towered up high above our heads. Hereand there we caught sight of the snowy pinnacles of the mountains risingtowards the sky. At length we emerged into a more open valley, and wereonce more able to mount our mules. We now entered the forest. Don Joseled the way by a path which was scarcely perceptible. I observed hereand there notches on the barks of the trees, which I concluded served toguide him. Through an opening in the trees I saw the sun settingtowards the valley below us; and had I not possessed great confidence inour conductor, I should have been afraid that we were about to bebenighted. Directly afterwards we entered a thicker part of the forest. Often it was with difficulty we could see our way amid the densefoliage. Don Jose, however, did not hesitate. After proceeding forsome distance, the sound of a woodman's axe reached our ears, and we sawthrough an opening ahead several persons engaged cutting away at thevines which had prevented the tall tree they had just hewn down fromreaching the ground. A little way beyond was a hut, and in itsneighbourhood several persons were at work. "These are my friends, "said Don Jose, "and they will willingly afford us shelter for the night, and protect us to the best of their power. "

While he was speaking, the man who appeared to be the director of theparty came forward and greeted him. A short conversation ensued. 

"We will remain here for to-night, " said Don Jose, "but it may be moreprudent to proceed further into the depths of the forest to-morrow. Itis possible that our enemies may discover the road we have taken andcome here to search for us, and, besides the risk we ourselves shouldrun, we should bring trouble on our friends. "

Riding up to the hut, our mules were unloaded, and our hammocks and thepackages were taken inside. It was a large shed, far better built thanmany of the tambos we had stopped at, with thick walls and roof toprotect the bark from the effects of the weather. It was already abouthalf full of bundles of this valuable commodity. Each bundle wastightly done up, and weighed as much as a man could carry up the steepmountain's side. 

We as usual set to work to form a separate chamber for Ellen and herattendant: this we did with bundles of the bark, leaving a door andwindow for ventilation. Ellen thanked us for our trouble, saying thatshe had not had so comfortable a room since the commencement of ourjourney. John, Arthur, and I slung our hammocks in the building, whilethe rest of the party were accommodated in the huts of thebark-gatherers. A rough table was soon formed within the large shed, and benches were brought in, and a substantial repast made ready. Thechief dishes were the usual potato-soup and some roast meat. We couldnot at first make out whether it was venison or mutton, but found oninquiry that it was the flesh of a vicuna, which had been shot by thesportsman of the party in the morning. It is an animal resembling thellama, the well-known beast of burden of the ancient Peruvians. DonJose and his friend sat down to table with us, and Domingos waited. 

"But of what use is this bark!" asked Ellen, looking up at the hugebundles piled up on either side. "Is it for tanning?"

"Oh no, " answered John. "This is the celebrated Peruvian bark, to whichthe name of chinchona has been given. It was bestowed on it inconsequence of the wife of the Viceroy of Peru, the Countess ofChinchona, having been cured of a tertian ague in the year 1638. Thecount and his wife, on returning to Spain, took with them a quantity ofthe healing bark; and they were thus the first persons to introduce thisvaluable medicine into Europe, where it was for some time known as thecountess's bark or powder, and was named by the celebrated naturalistLinnaeus chinchona, in memory of the great service the countess hadrendered to the human race. The Jesuits were great promoters also ofthe introduction of the bark into Europe. Some Jesuit missionaries in1670 sent parcels of the powder or bark to Rome, whence it wasdistributed throughout Europe by the Cardinal de Lugo, and used for thecure of agues with great success. Hence, also, it was often calledJesuit's bark, and cardinal's bark. "

"Yes, I have heard of that, " observed Don Jose, laughing; "and I am toldthat for some time it was in consequence opposed by the Protestants, andespecially favoured by the Roman Catholics. "

"Yes, " said John, "I believe that for a very long time a very strongprejudice existed against it; and even physicians opposed its use, considering it at best a dangerous medicine. It is now, however, acknowledged to be a sovereign remedy for ague of all descriptions. Ibelieve the French astronomer De la Condamine, who went to Quito in theyear 1735 to measure an arc of a degree, and thus to determine the shapeof the earth, was the first person who sent home a full account of thetree. "

"We call it quinquina, " (bark of barks), observed Don Jose. "Some ofits virtues, if not all, were known to the Peruvians long before theywere discovered by Europeans. "

"Ah! that is the reason it is called quinine by the English, " observedJohn. "I did not before know the derivation of the word. "

"Since its use became general in Europe, the export trade of thequinquina has been very considerable, " observed Don Jose. "Forestscontaining groves of these trees are found in various regions throughoutthe northern parts of the Cordilleras. My friend here has been engagedsince his boyhood in collecting the bark, as was his father before him. When searching for new districts, it is the custom for thecascarilleros, or bark-collectors, to set forth in parties of a dozen ormore men, with supplies of food and tools. They make their way into theunknown forest, where they suppose, from its elevation above the sea andits general appearance, that the chinchona trees will be found. Theyare always accompanied by an experienced searcher, called the_cateador_. He climbs the highest tree in the neighbourhood, andsearches about till he discovers the _manchas_, or clumps, of thechinchona trees by their dark colour, and the peculiar reflection of thelight from their leaves, which can be distinguished even in the midst ofa wide expanse of forest. He then, descending, conducts the partythrough the tangled brushwood, often for hours together, marking his waywith his wood-knife, till he reaches the clump. Here they build roughhuts, such as you see around us, and commence their work. The firstoperation is to cut down a tree, when the bark is carefully strippedoff, and kept as free as possible from dirt or moisture, as it easilybecomes mouldy, and loses its colour. It is important to cut the treeas close down to the ground as possible, in order that fresh shoots maygrow up. There are various species of the quinquina. One is known bythe name of grey bark, another as the red bark, which is considered themost valuable. The bark which you see around you is of the latterspecies; and the men employed in collecting can each make from one totwo dollars a day. In the more distant forests, however, they have toundergo great danger in the work. Sometimes they have been known tolose themselves in the forest and having exhausted their provisions, have died of hunger. They are compelled also to carry the load of barkon their own backs, and occasionally a man breaks down under the weightand can proceed no further, when, if he is separated from hiscompanions, he has little hope of escaping with life. There are, besides the species I have mentioned, a vast number of chinchona, thoughthe bark of some yields little or none of the valuable drug. "

As soon as supper was over we retired to our hammocks, that we might beprepared to set out at an early hour to a more secure spot in theforest. John and I lay awake for some time, talking over our prospects. Of course we were very anxious about what might happen to our family;for though Domingos had evidently not wished to alarm us, we saw that hewas uneasy about them. We also could not shut our eyes to thedifficulties and dangers we should have to undergo; not that we caredmuch about them on our own account, but on Ellen's. Though she was abrave girl, we were afraid that she might suffer from the hardships shemight have to endure in travelling over that mountain region. What ourfather had done to draw upon himself the hostility of the Governmentparty we could not tell. He had, however, always shown an interest inthe natives, and by his just and kind treatment of them had won theirregard. We concluded, therefore, that he was in some way supposed to beimplicated in the outbreak which had lately taken place. At length wedropped off to sleep. 

The rest of the night passed quietly away. I awoke as the grey dawn wasstealing into the hut, and at once turned out of my hammock. I stoodcontemplating the wild scene for some minutes, admiring the size andvariety of the trees which rose up in the forest before me. Some hadenormous buttress trunks, which sent down rope-like tendrils from theirbranches in every direction. There was the gigantic balsam-tree, theindia-rubber-tree, and many others. Among them were numerous palms--onetowering above the rest with its roots shooting out in every directionfrom eight feet above the ground, and another slender and beautiful; butthe most remarkable of all was the _sayal_--so Don Jose called it--themonarch of the palms of these forests. It had rather a short, thickstem, the inner fibres of its stalk being like black wool; but itsremarkable feature was its enormous leaves, which grew erect from thestem for forty feet in length. They must be the largest leaves, Johnand I agreed, in the whole vegetable kingdom. There were many brightand scarlet flowers, and numberless beautiful orchids hanging from thebranches of the trees. Beyond the forest rose rugged cliffs, dark blackrocks with lofty ranges of mountains towering above them. I was soonjoined by my companions, and in a little time Ellen and Maria cameforth. As it was almost dark when we reached the spot, we had formed noidea of the wonderful scenery surrounding us Domingos did not appear, and John inquired of Don Jose what had become of him. 

"He has gone to ascertain in what direction the troops have marched, " heanswered. "We shall have to take our road accordingly. Besides thehigh road, there is another by which I can lead you, but it is stillmore steep and difficult yet, as we shall thus avoid the risk of meetingwith enemies, it may be the safest for us. "

A couple of hours passed away, during which we breakfasted on somedelicious chocolate prepared by our host. Still Domingos had notreturned. The mules, however, were got ready, that we might start, should it be necessary, immediately he appeared. 

"I trust the honest man has not been taken prisoner, " observed Don Jose;"it might fare ill with him. But I am sure he would endure any crueltyrather than betray us; and if he does not soon appear we will proceed onour journey, and my friend here will send a man to show him the road wehave taken. "

An hour passed, and as Domingos did not return, we mounted our mules andproceeded through the forest. Had we been on foot we might havefollowed some paths which the bark-collectors had cut; but many of themwould only allow of a person proceeding in a stooping posture under thenumberless creepers which were interwoven amid the branches of thetrees. We had therefore to make a considerable circuit. At length wecame to a less frequented part of the forest, and here we were compelledto use our knives and hatchets to clear away the art-work of creeperswhich impeded our progress. We all dismounted, and led the mulesthrough the path we had thus formed. In several places we found, afteran hour's toil, that we had not progressed more than half a mile. 

"We shall reach more open country by-and-by, " said Don Jose, "so we neednot despair. "

At length we came upon a small party of men engaged in stripping off thebark from a tree which they had lately cut down. Don Jose spoke tothem. They saluted him with marks of respect, and one of them, throwinghis arm over his shoulder, led us through the forest to a small hutconcealed by the surrounding trees. Its interior was not very tempting, but it would afford us shelter from the night air should we be detainedthere. It was destitute of furniture, with the exception of severalhammocks hung up at one end, and a few pots and other cooking apparatusin the corner. Our attendants, however, at once began to sweep it out, while Ellen and Maria sat down on a log outside. 

"The night is likely to be fine, and our friends will gladly give you uptheir hut, " said Don Jose. 

"We will wait here till Domingos appears. I have made arrangements thatwe should have ample notice should any enemies come in pursuit of us. We are surrounded by friends, and I have no doubt we shall be able toescape. "

Don Jose had secured a fresh supply of food, so that in a short time anample meal was spread on the ground, round which we collected in picnicfashion. We had just concluded it when we heard footsteps approaching. As we looked out, Domingos appeared before us. His countenanceexhibited anxiety, and taking Don Jose aside, he conversed with him forsome minutes. 

"We must proceed at early dawn by the road I have mentioned to you, "said our friend, returning to us. "Domingos has had a narrow escape ofbeing made prisoner. He tells me that the soldiers are pursuing thepatriots and natives in every direction, and treating them with thegreatest cruelty, shooting and hanging them whenever they are found. Although they would not venture probably to ill-treat you, you might besubjected to great inconvenience, and certainly detained and preventedfrom reaching your parents. However, I trust that we shall be able toavoid them, and to reach the eastern slopes of the Andes withoutinterruption. Your father has ever proved my firmest friend, and Irejoice therefore to have the opportunity of showing my gratitude bybeing of service to his children. We shall be able to remain hereduring the night, and will recommence our journey by dawn, so as toreach the most difficult pass by mid-day, and I trust before evening tohave gained a place of safety. "

"You will do well, my dear masters, to trust our friend thoroughly, "said Domingos to John and me, while Don Jose was at a little distance. "I know your father has a great regard for him, and whatever he promiseshe can perform. You are indeed fortunate in meeting with him. He is acacique, whose fathers once had great power in the country; and thoughdeprived of his lands, he is still looked up to with respect by thenatives in all parts of the country. "

"Then how comes he to be called Don Jose?" I asked. 

"That is the name by which he is known to the whites, and it is thesafest by which to speak of him, " answered Domingos. "I know not if Iought to tell his real name; but you will be cautious, or he might bedispleased with me. "

"Yes; do tell me, " I said; "I am curious to know more about him. "

Domingos looked around. The person we were speaking of was still out ofhearing. 

"I will tell you, then, " he replied. "His real name is Pumacagua. Hisfather, who headed the last attempt of the Indians to gain their libertybefore the revolution, when numerous tribes gathered to his standard, was defeated, made prisoner, and shot. Young Jose, our friend, afterfighting bravely, escaped, and though sought for, was not discovered. Your father had concealed him at great hazard, and afforded him sheltertill better times came round. He and I were the only persons in thesecret. Jose Pumacagua has, therefore, reason to be grateful to yourfather, besides being connected with him by the ties of blood. "

Just then Don Jose, as I will still call him, came up, and we wereunable to ask further questions of Domingos. Ellen was much interestedwhen we afterwards narrated to her what we had heard, and said that sheshould try and get Don Jose to tell us his adventures, as she was surethey must be very curious. 

We were soon left quite alone; for the cascarilleros, having loadedthemselves with the result of their labour, took their way through theforest. Our friend told us that they were carrying the bark to avillage out of the forest, where it would be free from damp, and beexposed to the drying influence of the sun. When thoroughly dried itwould be conveyed to the town of Guaranda, and then sent down by mulesto Guayaquil. I should have mentioned that the chinchona treessurrounding us were very beautiful and graceful. They had large, broad, oval, deep green, shining leaves, with white and fragrant flowers, andthe bark was of a red colour. The trees varied in height from forty tosixty feet. There were other trees in the neighbourhood which lookedvery like them, but Don Jose showed us the difference. The nature ofthe bark is known by its splintery, fibrous, or corky texture. The truebark is of the former character. 

Having cleaned out the hut, we made our usual arrangements for passingthe night. Don Jose and Domingos, I saw, were somewhat uneasy, and twoof the men were sent out as scouts to watch the path by which we hadreached the hut. 

"It is well to take precautions against surprise, " observed our friend. "However, our enemies, if they do follow us, will not travel during thenight, so that we shall be able, by moving early, to have a good startof them. "

At length, two hours after sunset, the Indians returned, reporting thatthey had seen no one. I was awaked by hearing Don Jose's voice--"Up, friends, up! We will be on the road, and not breakfast till we reach aspot where no foe is likely to follow us. " He held a torch in his hand, by the light of which we got ready to mount. The Indians had meantimesaddled the mules, which were brought round to the door of the hut. "Follow my example, " he said, producing from a bag which he carriedslung over his shoulder, under his poncho, some dried leaves. "Thiswill enable you to travel on for many hours without hunger, and assistin preventing the damp air of the forest from having any ill effect. "Sitting down on the trunk of a felled tree, he placed the bag beforehim, and put leaf after leaf into his mouth, till he had formed a smallball. He then took out from the bag a little cake, which I have sincefound was composed of carbonate of potash, prepared by burning the stalkof the quinoa plant, and mixing the ashes with lime and water. Thecakes thus formed are called _llipta_. The coca-bag, which he calledhis _chuspa_, was made of llama cloth, dyed red and blue in patterns, with woollen tassels hanging from it. His attendants followed theirmaster's example, as did John, Arthur, and I. Domingos, however, declined doing so, and speedily prepared some chocolate for Ellen, Maria, and himself. A little time was thus occupied, and mounting, weturned our mules' heads towards the east, just as the grey light of dawnappeared above the mountain-tops, the stars still shining with a calmlight out of the deep blue sky above our heads, not glittering andtwinkling as in northern climes. We were thus initiated by our friendin the use of the far-famed coca. 

"How do you like it?" he asked. 

"I find the smell of the leaf agreeable and aromatic, and now I amchewing it, it appears to give out a grateful fragrance, " I answered. It caused, I found, a slight irritation, which somewhat excited thesaliva. 

"Ah! you will be enabled to go on if you wish till noon without eating, and then with a fresh supply continue on with active exercise tillnightfall, " he observed. "It is with this wonderful leaf that therunning chasquis or messengers have from time immemorial been able totake their long journeys over the mountains and deserts. It must not beused to excess, or it might prove prejudicial to the health, yet inmoderation it is both soothing and invigorating. It will prevent anydifficulty of respiration also as you ascend the steep mountain-sides. "

The coca-plant grows, I should say, at an elevation of about 6000 feetabove the level of the sea. It is a shrub from four to six feet high, the branches straight and alternate, and the leaves, in form and size, like tea-leaves. They are gathered three times a year. They are thenspread out in a drying-yard and carefully dried in the sun. The driedleaf is called coca. They are afterwards packed in sacks made of bananaleaves. It is most important to keep them dry, as they otherwisequickly spoil. 

Daylight at length enabled us to see our way along one of the wildestand most rugged paths on which I should think it is possible for animalsto proceed. Up, up we went, with a roaring torrent on one side, and aglorious view beyond of mountain above mountain, some snow-covered, others running up into sharp peaks--others, again, considerably lower, clothed even to their summits with graceful palms, whose feathery topsstood out against the sky. Sometimes we had to cross narrow chasms onthe fallen stems of trees; now we arrived at a wide one, to be crossedby means of a suspension bridge, which swung frightfully from side toside. It made me giddy as I watched those who first passed along it. It was composed of the tough fibres of the maguey, a sort of osier ofgreat tenacity and strength, woven into cables. Several of these cablesforming the roadway were stretched over buttresses of stone on eitherside of the bank, and secured to stout timbers driven into the groundbeyond them. The roadway was covered with planks, and on either sidewas a railing of the same sort of rope as the rest of the bridge. Lightas it appeared, the mules one by one were led over. We followed, notventuring to look down into the foaming torrent, rushing impetuouslyalong a hundred feet or more below us. Soon after this a ladder ofrocks appeared in front of us. We were here compelled to dismount, DonJose and John helping up Ellen, Domingos assisting Maria, Arthur and Iscrambling up by ourselves while the Indians, waiting till we hadreached the summit, remained behind to drive on the mules. Everyinstant I expected to see one of them roll over; but they climbed upmore like monkeys than quadrupeds, and at length joined us on a smalllevel spot at the summit. 

"A dozen bold men might hold this pass against a thousand enemies, "observed our friend. "Few but our people know it, though. We willproceed yet higher, and cross the most elevated pass before we stop forbreakfast, if your sister can endure hunger so long. "

"Oh yes, yes!" exclaimed Ellen. "I would not have you delay on myaccount. The chocolate I took prevents me feeling any hunger, eventhough this pure air is calculated to give an appetite. "

On and on we went, at as rapid a rate as our mules could move, upwardsand upwards, the scenery if possible growing wilder and wilder at everystep. Huge masses of rock rose above our heads, with snow-toppedpinnacles peeping out at each break between them. We had gone on someway further, when at a short distance on our left I saw perched on thetop of a rock a huge bird, its head bent forward as if about to pouncedown upon us. Presently we saw its wings expand. It was of great size, with huge claws, a pointed, powerful beak, a neck destitute of feathers, and a huge comb on its forehead. The feathers were of a glossy blackhue, with a white ruff at the base of the neck. 

"Do you think he will attack us?" I said to Don Jose. 

He laughed. "No; he is a coward! We can easily drive him off if hemake the attempt. "

He shouted loudly. At that instant the condor, for such was the birdnear us, spreading out its huge wings, slowly glided into the air. Atfirst the weight of its body seemed to keep it down, but gradually itrose, mounting higher and higher, until it appeared like a mere speck inthe blue sky. 

"He has gone off to the distant ocean, " observed our companion; "or toseek for prey among the flocks on the plains below. He will not returntill evening, when probably we shall see him, or some of his brothers, flying over our heads, and pitching on the lofty peaks amid which theydwell. "

The highest point of the pass was at length reached. We all felt adifficulty in breathing, and even our hardy mules stood still and gaspedfor breath. We let them proceed slowly, while we had time to admire themagnificent spectacle which the mountain scenery afforded. Around us onevery side rose up lofty peaks and rugged heights, prominent among whichappeared the snow-capped, truncated peak of Cotopaxi, looking like avast sugar-loaf. The rocks, too--huge masses of porphyry--were brokeninto all sorts of shapes, and were of every variety of colour, from darkbrown to the brightest lilac, green, purple, and red, and others of aclear white, producing a very curious and beautiful effect, and at thesame time showing us to what violent throes and upheavings that regionhas been subjected. Below our feet was spread out that gloomy plainwhich has been so frequently devastated by the lava and ashes which themountain has cast forth. 

Descending, we reached a sheltered spot, where grass was found for ourtired mules. Our saddle-bags were unpacked, the fires lighted, and in ashort time cups of boiling chocolate and a steaming stew, previouslycooked, were arranged for us on the grass. 

While wandering a little way from our temporary camp, I saw some largepale yellow flowers growing on a low shrub. Presently several smallbeautiful birds appeared hovering above them, in no way daunted by mypresence. As they dipped their long bills into the flowers, I couldobserve their plumage, and was convinced, though found at so great anelevation, that they were humming-birds. After watching them for sometime, I called Ellen and Arthur to look at them. 

"Ah, yes, they are worthy of admiration, " exclaimed our Inca friend. "The bird is the Chimborazian hill-star humming-bird. It is found16, 000 feet above the ocean, close to the region of snow, and seldom ata less elevation than 12, 000 feet. "

The head and throat of the little creature which had excited ouradmiration shone with the most brilliant tints, though the rest of thebody was of a more sombre hue. The upper parts of the body were of apale, dusky green, except the wings, which were of the purple-brown tintcommon to humming-birds in general. The head and throat were of themost resplendent hue, with an emerald green triangular patch on thethroat, while a broad collar of velvety black divided the brilliantcolours of the head from the sober ones of the body. The hen bird, which was mostly of a sombre olive-green, was flying about under thebushes, and almost escaped our notice. 

Don Jose told us that a similar bird inhabits the sides of Pichincha, with different marks on its neck, and that neither at any time visitsthe other, each keeping to its own mountain, on which they find thefood, flowers, and insects best suited to their respective tastes. Itwould have been barbarous to have shot the beautiful little birds; buteven had we wished it, it would have been difficult to do so. So rapidwas their flight, that it was only when they were hovering over a flowerthat we could have taken aim. Ellen wanted to have one caught to keepas a pet; but Don Jose assured her that it would not live in the lowregion of the Amazon, but that we should there find many still morebeautiful species of the same family, some of which she might verylikely be able to tame. After watching the birds for some time, wereturned to the camp. 

Domingos was the first to mount his mule, riding on ahead, that he mightascertain if the road was clear, while he promised to return and give usnotice should any enemies appear, that we might have time to concealourselves. This we hoped to be able to do among the wild rocks whichrose up in every direction. We rode on, however, without interruptionfor the remainder of the day, and stopped towards evening at a small mudhut, inhabited by a Quichua family, who willingly agreed with Don Joseto conceal and protect us with their lives. In the morning we proceededin the same way as on the previous day. Thus for several days wetravelled on, resting during the night at rude tambos, the inhabitantsof which, directly Don Jose spoke to them, willingly undertook to giveus accommodation. The weather was fine, the air pure, bracing, andexhilarating; and in spite of the fatigue we underwent, none of ussuffered. Ellen and Maria bore the journey wonderfully. Although wewere making our way towards the east, frequently we found ourselvesriding round a mountain with our backs to the rising sun. Now we wereascending by the side of steep precipices, and now again descending intodeep ravines. At length Don Jose gave us the satisfactory intelligencethat we had left Quito behind us to the north-west, and that we mighthope to escape falling in with hostile forces. "Still, " he saidprivately to John and me, "I cannot promise that we are altogether safe. We must use great caution, and avoid as much as possible the beatentracks. Parties may have been sent out to the east in search offugitives; but we will hope for the best. "

As we were ascending a mountain-side, we saw before us, windingdownwards, a long line of animals. A couple of Indians walked at thehead of the troop, while several other men came at intervals among them. Each animal carried a small pack on its back; and we soon knew them tobe llamas, as they advanced carrying their long necks upright, withtheir large and brilliant eyes, their thick lips, and long and movableears. They were of a brown colour, with the under parts whitish. 

As we approached, in spite of the efforts of their conductors, theyscattered away up and down the mountains, leaving the path open to us. The Indians, however, made no complaint; but as we gained a height abovethem, we saw them exerting themselves to re-collect their scatteredcavalcade. They were going, Don Jose told us, to the coast, to bringback salt--an article without which human beings can but ill supportlife in any part of the world. 

We soon after found ourselves travelling on a wide, lofty plain, boundedby still higher peaks. In several directions we saw herds of llamas, asalso a smaller animal of the same species--the alpaca. It somewhatresembles the sheep, but its neck is longer, and its head moregracefully formed. The wool appeared very long, soft, fine, and of asilky lustre. Some of those we saw were quite white, others black, andothers again variegated. There were vast herds of them, tended byIndians, as sheep are by their shepherds in other parts of the world. 

The following day, descending from the plain and passing through a deepvalley, we caught sight of a herd of similar creatures, which Don Josetold us were vicunas. Their shape appeared slighter and more elegantthan that of the alpaca, with a longer and more graceful neck. Thecolour of the upper part of the body was a reddish yellow, while theunder side was of a light ochre. A peculiar shrill cry reached our earsas we approached, and the whole herd turned, advancing a few paces, andthen suddenly wheeling round, off they went at a rapid rate. Don Josetold us that they are hunted with the bolas, as cattle are in theplains. There is another animal, the huanacu, which is larger than thellama, but resembles it greatly. It is considered by some naturaliststo be a wild species of the llama. Huanacus live in small troops. Their disposition is very different from that of the llama. Thougheasily tamed when caught young, they can seldom be trained to carryburdens. 

John reminded me of an account he had read of the llama, which islikened to the dromedary of the desert, the services it is called uponto perform being similar. Though it has not the ugly hump of thedromedary, it possesses the same callosities on the breast and knees;its hoof is divided in the same manner, and is of the same formation. Its internal construction, which enables it to go for a long timewithout drinking, is also similar. It will carry about one hundredpounds, and proceed at the rate of twelve or fourteen miles a day. Whenoverloaded, however, it lies down, and nothing will induce it to risetill it has been relieved of part of its cargo. 

Llamas were the only beasts of burden employed by the ancient Peruvians. Mules and horses were introduced by the Spaniards, and have now in manyplaces superseded the llamas, as mules will carry a much greater weight, and are far more enduring and patient animals. 

CHAPTER FOUR. 

ADVENTURES AMONG THE MOUNTAINS. 

We had been travelling on for many days, yet had made but slow progress. This was not surprising, considering that we had to climb up steepmountains and to descend again into deep valleys, to cross rapid streamsand wade through morasses, again to mount upwards and wind round andround numberless rugged heights, with perpendicular precipices, now onone side, now on the other, and gulfs below so profound that often oureyes, when we unwisely made the attempt, could scarcely fathom them. Still almost interminable ranges of mountains appeared to the east. Aswe looked back, we could see the lofty heights of Pichincha, Corazon, Ruminagui, Cotopaxi, Antisana, and many others. 

We had a mountain before us. Our patient mules slowly climbed up it. The summit reached, the ridge was so narrow that parts of the same rocksmight have been hurled, the one down into the valley towards the settingsun, the other in the direction of the Atlantic. We there stood fifteenthousand feet at least above the ocean, our animals panting with theexertion, and we ourselves, though inured to the air of the mountains, breathing with difficulty. Still before us there was a scene of wildgrandeur, --mountain rising beyond mountain, with deep valleysintervening, their bottoms and sides clothed with a dense unbroken massof foliage. 

"I fear beyond this we shall find no pathway for our mules, " observedDon Jose, as we were descending the height; "but we will endeavour toprocure bearers for the luggage, and will, in the meantime, encamp insome sheltered spot, and try and ascertain in which direction my friend, your father, and his party have gone. "

We were nearly an hour descending, our mules carefully picking their wayamong the rocks and lofty trees, and along the edges of yawning chasms, which threatened to swallow us up. Sometimes we passed through woodedregions, where the giant trees, falling from age, remained suspended inthe network of sipos or wild vines, which hung from the branches oftheir neighbours. Now we had to make our way round the trunks, now topass beneath them. As I looked up, I could not help dreading that thecordage which held them might give way, and allow them to fall at thatinstant and crush us. At last we reached a level spot or terrace on themountain-side, but still the bottom of the valley seemed far down belowus. 

"We will encamp here, " said our friend, "and remain till we canascertain the direction we must pursue to come up with our friends. Weare here above the damp and close air of the valley. From yondertorrent we can obtain the water we require, " (he pointed to a cascadewhich came rushing and foaming down, at a little distance, through acleft in the mountain), "while the forest around will afford an amplesupply of provision. We are at such a distance from the usual track, that we shall not, I hope, be discovered, should any of our enemiesventure in this direction. "

John at once agreed to our friend's proposal. 

"Our mules, " continued Don Jose, "are of no further use, for it would bealmost impossible for them to make their way amid the tangled forestthrough which we must pass. We will therefore send them back to asolitary rancho or farm, the proprietor of which is my friend, wherethey will remain in safety till better times, when they can be forwardedto their owners. "

This plan being agreed on, the animals were unloaded, and our nativeattendants set to work to build huts, which might afford us sufficientshelter for the night. We all helped; but we found that they were somuch more expert, that they had erected three huts while we had notfinished one. Long stakes were first cut down. Two of them were driveninto the ground and joined at their top, and about twelve feet beyondthem, other two were driven in, and connected by a long pole. Againstthis a number of stakes were arranged to serve as rafters. Meantime aquantity of large palm-leaves had been procured, which were attached tothe rafters by thin sipos or vines, beginning at the bottom, so thatthey overlapped each other in the fashion of tiles. They were so neatlyand securely fastened, that it was evident the heaviest shower would notpenetrate them. In a short time we had seven or eight of these huts up, sufficient to accommodate the whole of the party. The natives thendescending into the forest, brought back a quantity of wood, which theyhad cut from a tree which they called _sindicaspi_, which means the"wood that burns. " We found it answer its character; for though it wasperfectly green, and just brought out of the damp forest, no sooner wasfire put to it than it blazed up as if it had been long dried in thesun. 

We were still at a considerable elevation, where there was but little ofanimal life. Even here, however, beautiful humming-birds flew among thebushes. They seemed very like the hill-stars we had seen atChimborazo--wonderful little feathered gems; but they flew so rapidlyabout that it was difficult to distinguish their appearance. Now agleam of one bright colour caught the eye, now another. Now, as theypassed, all their hues were blended into one. 

"I should so like to have some of those beautiful little creatures aspets, " said Ellen. "I wonder if they could be tamed!"

"No doubt about it, " said Don Jose. "The difficulty is to catch themfirst. But, small as they are, they are in no degree timid; and if youcould take some of them young, you would find that they would willinglyfeed off your hand; but, bold and brave, they love freedom, and will notconsent to live in captivity. Perhaps Isoro may catch some for you. Heknows all the birds and beasts of this region, and trees and herbs, as, at one time, did all the people of our race. The study of God's worksis a truly noble one, and such the enlightened Incas considered it; andtherefore it was the especial study of young chiefs in bygone days. But, alas! in these times of our degeneracy, in that, as in many otherpoints, we are grievously deficient compared to our ancestors. "

"Oh, thank you, " said Ellen. "I shall indeed be obliged to Isoro if hecan show me how to tame some of these beautiful little birds. "

"I would rather have one of those fellows I see perched on yonderpinnacle, " observed Arthur, pointing to a rock at some distance, whencea huge condor, with outspread wings, was about to take flight. "What agrand thing it would be to get on his back, and make him fly with oneover the mountain-tops. He looks big and strong enough to do it. "

"I am afraid that, with all his strength, he would find it a hard matterto lift a heavy youth like you from the ground, " observed Don Jose. "Yet even a condor can be tamed, and if he is well fed, becomessatisfied with his lot. Large as he is, he is a mean creature, and acoward. "

While Don Jose was speaking, the condor came flying by. Not a movementof his wings was perceptible. We hallooed and clapped our hands. 

"He seems not to hear our voices, " I observed. 

"He is too far off for that, " said our companion. "Though we see himclearly, he is at a greater distance than you suppose. In this pureatmosphere, objects appear much nearer than they really are; indeed, even with long practice, it is difficult to ascertain distances by theeye alone. See there, on yonder slope! It would take an active man anhour or more to reach the height over which these vicunas are bounding, and yet they seem almost within reach of our rifles. "

He pointed to a shoulder of the mountain which projected some distanceinto the valley, over which several animals were making their way, scrambling up rocks which I should have thought the most agile deercould scarcely have attempted to scale. 

Isoro had received a hint from his master; and after being absent fromthe camp for some time, returned with a beautiful little live bird, which he presented, greatly to her delight, to Ellen. Though itsbright, sharp specks of eyes were glancing about in every direction, itremained quietly in her hand, without attempting to escape. The greaterportion of its body was light green, bronzed on the side of the neck andface, and the lower part of the back was of a deep crimson red. Thewings were purple-brown, and the throat metallic green; but the tail wasits most remarkable feature. That was very long, brown at the base, andthe greater part of its length of the brightest fiery red, tipped with avelvety black band. 

"Why, its tail is a perfect comet, " exclaimed Ellen, who had been forsome time admiring it. 

She had given it the name by which it is chiefly known--the Sapphocomet, or bar-tailed humming-bird. It is a migratory bird, seldom, however, found so far north. It is a native of Bolivia, where it isfound in gardens, and near the abodes of men, of whom it seems to haveno fear. In the winter it flies off to the warm regions of easternPeru, so Isoro told us. 

"I am afraid that it will not live in captivity, " he remarked. "Shall Ikill it for you, senora?"

"Oh no! no!" exclaimed Ellen. "On no account. If I cannot make a petof it, I would not keep it even as an unwilling captive. Pray, let itgo at once. "

Isoro let the bird perch on his finger. It looked about for an instant, and then expanding its glossy wings, off it flew, its long tail gleaminglike a flash of lightning in the air, and was in an instant lost tosight. Isoro had, I believe, caught the little creature by the bill, with a sort of bird-lime, placed in the lower part of a flower, where itwas held captive long enough to enable him to seize it. 

We did not fail to keep up a large fire in the centre of our camp duringthe night, lest any prowling puma might venture to pay us a visit. Thewarmth, also, which it afforded in that keen mountain air was grateful. 

After Ellen and Maria had retired to their hut, which had been made ascomfortable for them as circumstances would allow, we sat up discussingour plans. I found that Don Jose and John had become anxious at notfinding our father. Our friend had sent out several Indians indifferent directions to search for him, with orders to come back to thespot where we were now encamped. I was surprised to find the influencehe possessed among all the natives we had met. 

As soon as we had encamped, Isoro and two other Indians set off toforage in the neighbourhood, as well as to obtain information. Theycame back late in the evening, driving before them three hogs, whichthey had purchased at a native hut some distance off. A pen was soonbuilt, in which to confine the animals: one of them was destined to beturned into pork the following morning. The mules had already been sentaway, and True and the pigs were the only four-footed animals in thecamp. 

Our whole party had been for some time asleep, when I was aroused by ahorrible squeaking, followed by a loud bark from True, who was sleepingunder my hammock. The squeaks and a few spasmodic grunts whichsucceeded them soon ceased. The voices of my companions outside the hutshowed me that they were on the alert; and knowing that True wouldattack our visitor, whether puma or jaguar, I tied him to one of theposts of the hut before I went out--a proceeding of which he did not atall approve. 

"Cuguacuara! cuguacuara!" I heard the Indians exclaiming. 

"A puma has carried off one of the hogs, " said John, who appeared withhis gun ready for action. 

"Where has it gone?" I asked. 

"That is what we are going to ascertain, " he answered. 

We set out with Don Jose, Isoro, and several of the Indians, the latterarmed only with their spears. There was a bright moon, so we had nogreat difficulty in seeing our way, though in that region of precipicesit was necessary to be cautious. Isoro and the Indians led the way, tracing the puma by the blood which their keen sight discovered on theground. We had not gone far when they stopped and signified that thebeast was near. Turning a point of rock, we saw before us, in a hollowon the side of the mountain--a shallow cavern overgrown with shrubs, into which the moon shone brightly--not only one, but two huge pumas, the nearest with its paws on the hog it had just stolen. We had formedour camp close to their lair. The savage brutes, thus brought to bay, and unable to escape, snarled fiercely at us. No animal is more hatedby the Indians than the puma, on account of the depredations it commitson their flocks and herds. They had little chance, therefore, of beingallowed to escape. I expected, moreover, at any moment to see themspring at us. 

"Do you take the nearest, " said Don Jose, calmly, to John; "I will takethe other. Reserve your fire, Harry, in case one of them shouldspring. "

He and John fired. The nearest puma gave a tremendous spring forward. I had my weapon ready, and drew the trigger. The bullet struck him, and, first rising in the air, he fell backwards, and lay without moving. The Indians rushed forward, and, with shouts of triumph, soon knockedout any sparks of life which remained in the animals. They then, fastening some sipos round the bodies, dragged them and the hog to thecamp. 

I had just time to measure one of them, before they were skinned and cutup. It had a body four feet in length; and a tail two and a half feetlong, black at the tip, but without the characteristic tuft of the lion. Its limbs were very thick and muscular, to enable it to climb trees andspring a great distance. Its coat was of a light tawny tint, and of agreyish-white below. 

The Indians, delighted with their prize, sat up the rest of the nightcooking and eating the flesh, and telling anecdotes about the creatures. The puma (_Leopardus concolor_) will seldom face a man when encounteredboldly. It attacks his flocks, however; and hunts deer, vicunas, llamas, and, indeed, all animals it meets with except its rival, thejaguar. It takes post on the branch of a tree, pressing itself soclosely along it as scarcely to be distinguished; and from thencesprings down on a passing deer or other animal, seizing it by the head, which it draws back till the neck is broken. I shall have by-and-by torecount another adventure with pumas of a far more terrific character;so will say no more about them at present, except that we found theflesh very white, and much like veal. 

We spent three days at the encampment. At length one evening Don Josedeclared his intention of setting forth himself with Isoro. I beggedthat I might accompany him, and John also seemed anxious to go. 

"No, Senor John, " said our friend; "it is your duty to remain and takecare of your young sister. But I will consent to take Harry with me, and we will set forth to-morrow morning by daybreak. John, Arthur, andyour servants will be sufficient to guard the camp; but do not move outbeyond the point which intervenes between this and the pass, lest youmay be perceived by any enemy travelling on it. And let me advise youalso to be cautious how you receive any stranger who may perchance findhis way here. At night be careful to keep a fire burning, and to set awatch. If you strictly follow my injunctions, I shall have no fear. Ineed not remind you of your young sister, whom it is your duty to watchover; and the consequences to her, as indeed to us all, would be sadthrough any carelessness. "

John, though evidently disappointed, promised to follow our friend'sadvice. Next morning, even before the sun had risen above the tops ofthe eastern mountains, while the valley was concealed by a dense mist, which looked as if a sheet had been drawn across it, we were on foot, and had finished breakfast. Don Jose, Isoro, and I were each providedwith long, stout staves. Our rifles were slung at our backs; walletscontaining our provisions were hung over our shoulders; and our feetwere shod with alpargates, which are sandals made of aloe fibres. Theyare invariably worn by the natives, as any ordinary boots wouldimmediately be cut to pieces by the rocky ground. These, indeed, didnot last more than three or four days. We had supplied ourselves, however, with a considerable number at one of the last places at whichwe had stopped, as well as with axes and wood-knives, and several otherarticles which we should require in our journey through the forest. Wehad obtained also two bales of cloth, some clasp-knives, glass beads, and trinkets, with which to pay the Indians for the services we mightrequire of them. 

Ellen came out of her hut just as we were ready to start. She seemedvery anxious when she heard that I was to be one of the party. DonJose, however, assured her that he would run into no unnecessary danger, and that our journey was absolutely necessary to ascertain whether ourfather had passed by that way, or was still in the mountains behind us. "I, too, am well acquainted with the country, " he added; "and evenshould any of our enemies come in this direction, I shall easily be ableto elude them. "

I wished to take True with me; but Don Jose said that he would be ofmore use at the camp, --that he might possibly betray us where we weregoing, and insisted on his being left behind. Poor fellow, he gazedinquiringly into my face when I tied him up, to know why he was thustreated, and seemed to say, I thought, "You know I shall watch over youbetter than any one else, and you may be sorry you left me behind. " Ourfriend was, however, so peremptory in the matter, that I was compelledto yield to his wishes. 

Bidding farewell to our friends, we took our way for some littledistance along the path we had come, and then, turning off, proceedednorthward, by which we should intersect, Don Jose said, another passageacross the mountains. Had I not been in active exercise every day forso long, I should have found great difficulty in scaling those mountainheights; but my nerves were firm, and from so frequently looking downprecipices, I no longer felt any dizziness, even when standing on theedge of the deepest. 

We travelled on for several days--sometimes through forests, at othersalong the bare mountain-sides, above the region of vegetation. Somenights were spent in huts, which we erected for ourselves, such as thoseI have just described. The natives, when we stopped at their abodes, always received our friend with great respect and attention. Theaccommodation they could afford, however, was but scanty. They werebuilt of reeds thatched with palm, and consisted of but one room. 

I have not yet described the natives of this region. They were of abronzed colour, with a sad and serious expression of countenance. Theywere seldom five feet high, and the women were even shorter. They hadsomewhat broad foreheads; their heads covered with thick, straight, coarse, yet soft, jet-black hair, which hung down their backs. Theirmouths were large, but their lips were not thicker than those ofEuropeans, and their teeth were invariably fine. They had large, well-formed chins; cheek-bones rounded; their eyes somewhat small, withblack eyebrows; and little or no beard. They had broad chests andsquare shoulders, and well-made backs and legs, which showed thestrength possessed by them. They were pleasant-looking people. The menwore a short kilt, with a poncho over their shoulders; the women, apetticoat of larger dimensions. 

They offered us, on entering their huts, cups of the _guayusa_ tea. Itis an infusion of the large leaf of a tall shrub which grows wild inthat region. We found it very refreshing: though not so powerful astimulant as coca, it supports the strength, as do the leaves of thatplant, and we found it enable us to go for a considerable time withoutfood. The cleanest corner of the hut was assigned us for oursleeping-place at night, with mats and dried leaves in the place ofmattresses. Our friend made inquiries as to whether any white peoplehad passed in that direction; and, by his orders, the natives were sentout to gain information. I saw that he was uneasy, though he did notexplain to me the reason. 

One morning we were on the point of again setting forward, when anative, with a long mountain-staff in his hand, entered the hut. Heexchanged a few words with Don Jose. 

"We must hasten away, Harry, " said our friend; "there is not a moment tobe lost. The enemy have been tracking us, I find; but I trust that yourfather has escaped them, and will ere long gain the banks of the Napo, down which he may voyage to the Amazon. We shall be able to reach thesame river by a longer route, along which there will be less fear ofbeing followed. "

He made these remarks as we were throwing our wallets over our backs. Taking our staves, he leading, we hurried from the hut, following anarrow path which led up the side of the mountain. We had approachedthe hut by a lower and more frequented path than we were now taking; butwe were, I found, going in the direction from which we had come on theprevious day. Don Jose went first, I followed, and Isoro brought up therear. Though I exerted all my strength, I had some difficulty inkeeping up with my friend. Anxious as I was to obtain more particularsof what had occurred, we could not exchange words at the rate we weregoing. Every now and then, as we were climbing the cliffs, whenever Ihappened to look back I saw Isoro turning an uneasy glance over hisshoulder. It was evident that we were pursued. We reached the edge ofa deep ravine, which appeared to bar our further progress. Don Jose, however, without making any remark, continued climbing on along it; andat length I saw what appeared to be a rope stretched across the chasm. 

"Hasten, master! hasten!" I heard Isoro cry out: I knew enough of theQuichua language to understand him. 

We continued on till we reached the end of the rope, fastened to thestump of a tree, and stretched across the chasm to the opposite side, where it was secured in the same manner, a platform being raised to thesame elevation as the rock on which we stood. 

"Harry, " said my friend, turning to me for the first time, "I have seenyour nerves thoroughly tried, and I know your muscles are well-knit, orI would not ask you to pass along this perilous bridge. "

The rope was formed of the tough fibres of the maguey--an osier whichgrows in the moist ground of that region. It possesses a great degreeof tenacity and strength. 

"Master, let me go first, " exclaimed Isoro, springing forward. "If itbreaks with me it will matter little, and you will have still a chancefor life. "

Without waiting for Don Jose's answer, Isoro threw himself upon therope, and, holding on by hands and feet, began to work himself along. Iwatched him anxiously. It was indeed a fearful mode of crossing thatawful gulf; and yet I knew that I must pass as he was doing. I wasthankful that the distance was not great, at all events. I breathedmore freely when at length I saw him alight on the platform. Ientreated Don Jose to go next. "It will give me more courage, " I said. "As you wish, " he replied. "Let me caution you, only before I go, toshut your eyes, and not to think of the gulf below you. You will thenfind the passage perfectly easy. "

Saying this, he took hold of the rope, and began to work his way across. Scarcely, however, had he got into the centre, when I saw Isoropointing in the direction we had come from. 

"Hasten! hasten!" he shouted out. 

I looked round, and caught sight of two enormous hounds approaching atfull speed. I could hear their loud, baying voices as they came onpanting up the mountain-side. I did not hesitate a moment, when urgedby Isoro to cross at once. "The rope will bear you, " he shoutedout--"not a moment is to be lost!"

Seizing the rope, I shut my eyes and began the awful passage; for awfulit was, as, in spite of my resolution, I could not help thinking of thedeep chasm over which I was making my way. I should be unwilling againto attempt so fearful a passage; and yet, perhaps, once accustomed toit, I should have thought nothing of the undertaking. I was surprisedwhen I felt my friend take my arm. 

"You are safe, " he said; "lower your feet;"--and I found myself standingon the platform. 

On opening my eyes, and looking towards the cliff from which we hadcome, I saw two huge blood-hounds, with open mouths, baying at us. Isoro, I should have said, had taken my rifle as well as his own, andplaced it against the tree. 

"We must get rid of these animals, " said Don Jose, "or they will betraythe road we have taken. "

Saying this, he levelled his piece, and one of the dogs, as it sprungforward on receiving the bullet, fell over the chasm into the depthsbelow. Isoro followed his master's example. His bullet took effect;but the blood-hound, though wounded, was not killed outright, andretreated a few paces. I was afraid he would have escaped; but beforehe had gone far, he fell over, and after a few struggles, was dead. 

"The animal must not remain there, " observed Isoro, throwing himselfupon the rope; and in a few minutes he had again crossed the chasm. 

Seizing the dog by the legs, he drew it to the edge, and hurled it afterits companion. Then, searching about in the crevices of the rocks formoss and lichens, he strewed them over the ground where the dog hadfallen, so as to obliterate the traces of blood. He was some time thusoccupied before he had performed the operation to his satisfaction; andthen he once more crossed the chasm, with as much unconcern as if he hadbeen passing along an ordinary road. I proposed letting go the rope toprevent our pursuers following. 

"That is not necessary, " said Don Jose. "It would cause trouble to ourfriends, and I doubt whether our enemies will venture to cross. At allevents, the so doing would betray the route we have taken, and they mayfind the means of crossing some leagues further down the stream. "

We accordingly proceeded as before. We now came to a track, which, hadI been alone, I could not have followed, as it was generally, to myeyes, altogether undistinguishable; yet Don Jose and Isoro traced itwithout difficulty. It now led us along the edge of a precipice, where, it seemed to me, so narrow was the space between the cliff on one sideand the fearful gulf on the other, that we could not possibly get by. Our leader, however, went on without hesitation. At length he appearedto reflect that my nerves might not be as firm as his. 

"Here, Harry, " he said, "take hold of the centre of my staff; Isoro willhold the other end, and you may pass without risk. "

I did as he directed, keeping my eyes away from the gulf as much aspossible. Now and then the path became somewhat wider; then again itnarrowed, affording just space to support our feet. I leaned againstthe cliff, unwilling to throw more weight than I could possibly help onthe staff. I breathed more freely when we were once more ascending themountain-side. We were making our way round a rugged point of rock, andDon Jose's head had just risen above it, when he called to us to stop. 

"I see some people coming this way, " he observed. "They may be friends, but they may be foes. Harry, I am sorry to have exposed you to thisdanger; for it is me they seek, not you. However, they have not seenus, and we have yet time to conceal ourselves. Fortunately I know of aplace near here where we shall be able to do so; and unless yonder bandhave these savage blood-hounds with them, we may yet escape capture. "

Saying this, he began rapidly to ascend the mountain-side among the wildand rugged rocks with which it was covered. After climbing up for somedistance, we saw before us a small opening in the rocks. 

"This is the spot I was seeking, " observed our friend; "and unless it isknown to our pursuers, we shall here remain in security till they havepassed by. "

He leading the way, we all entered the cavern. It soon opened out intoa large chamber with rugged sides. The passage to it also had severalbuttresses or projecting rocks, behind which we might take post, andcould have fired down without being seen on any one approaching. Fromthe entrance, also, we could watch the pathway by which we had come; andit was so small and overgrown with shrubs that it could not be perceivedat any distance. Don Jose told me to climb up behind one of the rocks, while he and Isoro took post behind others. So completely were theyconcealed, that I could not discover where they were except by theirvoices. We waited anxiously, till at length a band of armed men wasseen winding round the hill. Already they had passed under the cave. 

"We might follow, and without difficulty hurl every one of those fellowsinto the abyss below, " observed Don Jose. "But we will spare them; theyobey but the orders of their superiors. "

After waiting a little time longer, Don Jose emerged from the cavern, and looking about, told us that the road was clear. We accordinglydescended, though it required great caution to avoid making a rapiddescent into the deep ravine below us. For the greater part of the daywe continued toiling on, supported by the coca with which weoccasionally replenished our mouths. At length, towards evening, wemade our way to a native hut, where we were received as usual. Herehammocks were slung for us between the pole on which the roof rested, our hosts undertaking to keep careful watch to prevent surprise. 

I had become very anxious about the rest of our party, fearing that theymight have been discovered. At the end of two more days I recognisedthe features of the spot where we had left them. No one was to be seen. My heart sank. Had they been seized and carried off to Quito, or hadthey made their escape? Great was my satisfaction when, on rounding arocky point, I caught sight of the huts, and saw Arthur running towardsus. "We are all well--very thankful to see you return!" he exclaimed, "for we began to fear that you might have been lost. " Directlyafterwards John and Ellen emerged from their huts, and now all the partywere gathered round us. Poor dear Ellen welcomed me with tears in hereyes. Her spirits revived when Don Jose told her he had reason tobelieve that our parents were in safety. True could not restrain hisjoy, but kept leaping up and licking my hands and face, and jumpinground and round me. Wherever I went he closely followed, determined notagain to lose sight of me. At supper he sat by my side watching myface, nor would he leave me even though John and Arthur tried to tempthim away with offers of bits of pork or parrots' legs. 

All the party were eager to set out at once, but it was necessary beforewe could do so to procure bearers to convey our luggage along the longand intricate path we had to take through the forest. This our friendundertook to do by the following day from a village at no great distanceoff. 

The next morning a dozen stout natives--young, active men--made theirappearance. They all had at their backs large baskets bound by withespassing across the forehead and chest. They were but lightly clothed. A small poncho covered their shoulders, and the usual cloth and kilt wasworn round the loins, a wisp of leaves preventing their backs beingchafed by their burdens. Each man also carried a long staff in hishand, and a bag of roasted corn as provision for the journey. Theburdens were soon adjusted. One of them had a sort of chair at hisback, which Don Jose had ordered to carry the senora, as Ellen wasdenominated. She insisted, however, that she was well able to walk, andnot without difficulty we persuaded her to take advantage of theconveyance which had been provided. 

We forthwith set out, and descending the mountain, were soon in themidst of the thick forest. Two of the Indians, who carried lighterburdens than the rest, went ahead with axes in their hands to clear theway. It was extraordinary with what rapidity they cut through thesipos, or hanging vines, which threw their serpent-like coils from treeto tree. So quick is their growth in that moist region, that othertravellers following in a few weeks would have to perform the sameoperation, our friend told us. As we advanced the forest became thickerand thicker, the dark foliage forming a lofty vault through which nosunlight can ever enter. The air felt cool and excessively damp, compared to the exposed sides of the mountains. A constant mist seemedto hang on the branches. Not a sound was to be heard; scarcely a birddid we see in the swampy shades. The stillness and gloom, indeed, became almost painful. From the lofty trees hung down thousands oflianas, or air-roots, some forming thick festoons, others perfectlystraight, of all lengths, many reaching almost down to our heads, othersagain touching the ground and taking root in the soft earth. Here andthere some giant of the forest, decayed by age, had fallen, to remainsuspended in the loops of the sipos. Thus we went on, following inIndian file. I kept near Ellen to cheer her up, while True followedclose at my heels, every now and then licking my hands and jumping up, as if to ask me what I thought of the strange region we had entered. Wefound it rather difficult to converse. Sometimes we walked on for aconsiderable distance in silence. 

We had thus been progressing for some time, the only sound heard beingthat of our footsteps on the rustling leaves, or that produced by thesharp axes of our pioneers, when suddenly our ears were startled by aloud crash, which, contrasted with the previous silence, made it seem asif the whole forest was coming down together. Ellen gave way to aslight cry of alarm. "Do not be afraid, my young friends!" shouted DonJose. "It is only an ancient tree, weary of standing so long. " In ashort time the crashing sound ceased, and directly afterwards we came insight of a vast trunk, which had fallen across the path we were about topass along. We had to make a circuit therefore to avoid it. We couldnot but feel thankful that it had not delayed its fall till we werepassing beneath, although we might possibly have had time to escape, inconsequence of its being upheld for a few seconds by the sipos, till itsvast weight had dragged them down. 

CHAPTER FIVE. 

THE RIVER REACHED AT LAST. 

We were not yet free of the mountains, for numerous spurs of the mightyAndes run eastward, between which the many streams proceeding from theirsnow-capped heights make their way towards the Amazon. Once more wewere compelled to ascend a steep height, and then to proceed along theridge for a considerable distance; then again we descended, to find atthe bottom a roaring torrent. This had to be crossed. 

The huge trunk of a tree had been placed by the natives over the deeperpart, resting on the rocks on either side. The water hissed and bubbledround it, threatening every instant to carry it away. Isoro, however, urged us to cross without delay. He observed signs in the west, amongthe mountains, of a coming storm, he said, and should it break before wewere safe on the other side, we should be prevented from crossingaltogether. Still, as we looked at the frail bridge, John and I werevery unwilling to expose Ellen to the risk she must run. At length DonJose ordered the Indians to form a long rope of sipos, and to stretch itacross the stream, that it might assist to steady the bearers on theirpassage. This caused some delay. "Hasten! hasten!" cried Isoro. "Ihear a sound which tells me that the waters are coming down!"

Don Jose on this led the way. Arthur kept close to him. I followedwith True in my arms, for I had taken him up for fear of his beingcarried away by the current. Ellen's bearer same next. John walkedclose behind her, to render her assistance should it be required. Withone hand I grasped the long sipo, with the other I kept tight hold ofTrue. The rest had the advantage of being able to steady themselveswith their poles. Domingos assisted Maria. The water, even before wereached the trunk, came roaring and hissing down round our legs, and Ihad some difficulty in stemming the current. I was thankful when ourleader reached the trunk, and began his passage over it. I found it, however, very slippery with the spray which broke over it. I dared notlook back to see how it fared with Ellen. I heard her voice, however, as she cried out, "Do not be afraid, Harry; my bearer steps firmly, andI am looking up at the blue sky and the waving tops of the tall trees; Ido not feel any alarm. " Still there was a wide extent of bubbling waterto be crossed beyond the end of the slippery trunk, and I could hear theloud roar of the waters which came down from the mountains through theravine. I saw Don Jose hastening on, and more than once he turned andbeckoned us to proceed more rapidly. The end of the bridge was reached. Arthur hesitated to leap into the boiling water. Don Jose turned roundand seized his hand and led him on. I followed. It seemed that everyinstant the depth of the water was increasing. I trembled for Ellen'ssafety, and yet could not venture to look back to ascertain how it wasfaring with her. I thought too of John, Maria, Domingos, and ourIndians. The danger for those who came last would be greatly increased. Had it not been for the sipo, I could scarcely have kept my footing. Now I was wading up to my middle, now climbing over a rock worn smoothby the never-resting waters. The water was here somewhat shallower. Ilooked round. Ellen's bearer was following with firm steps, and wasclose behind me. "On! on!" cried John. Our leader was already near theedge, and I hoped we should soon be in safety, when I heard Ellen uttera shriek of terror. I sprang on to the bank. Her bearer followed. Shehad not been alarmed on her own account; but now looking across thestream, I saw the bearers following closely on each other, pressingalong the bridge. From above the water, in a vast foaming volume, wascoming rushing down, roaring loudly. John turned round, and takingMaria's hand, assisted her up the bank. Domingos clambered after her. Our peons came close together behind. One man was still on the bridge, when the torrent, striking it with fearful force, lifted it off therock, and away it went wheeling downwards. The peon kept his footingfor an instant, then, as it began to turn over, he sprang off it towardsthe shore; but unable to disengage himself from his burden, he was bornedownwards amid the tossing waters. The Indians ran down the bank to tryand render him assistance. John and I followed, with Don Jose, whoseemed unusually agitated. Now we saw the man clutching hold of a rock;soon again he was torn off, and went floating downwards. Still hestruggled on bravely, making his way towards the shore. I expectedevery moment to see him give up the unequal contest, for the mightywaters seemed to have him in their grasp. Fortunately the bundle hecarried was large, and though heavy out of the water, was light in it, and instead of sinking, assisted to float him. 

John and I continued to make our way along the banks with the rest. Wehad got some distance down, when we saw what appeared to be an eddy orbackwater in the river. Below it the stream rushed on with the sameimpetuosity as before. I called to John. "I think we may save him, " Isaid; and signed to the Indians to cut some long sipos which hung downfrom the branches above us. Several flexible ones were speedily cut andfastened together. Both John and I were good swimmers. He secured oneto his waist, as did I, signing to the Indians to hold the other ends. Then we dashed into the stream, swimming out towards the strugglingIndian. In another moment he would have been carried by us. I reachedhim just as I was at the extreme end of the sipo. John seized his armdirectly afterwards, and together we towed him towards the bank, callingto the Indians to haul the sipo gently in. Soon reaching the bank, wedragged up our nearly drowned companion. Not till then did we discoverthat he was Isoro, who, it appeared, had taken the load of a sick bearerunable to carry it. 

Isoro, as soon as he had recovered sufficiently to speak, thanked uswarmly for preserving his life. Don Jose, who had come up, also addedhis thanks. "I value him much, " he observed, "and should have grieveddeeply had he lost his life. "

We had little time for talking, however, for we had to hurry back towhere we had left our companions, as the storm which had been brewing inthe mountains now threatened to break over our heads. Our party, therefore, piling up their loads, made haste to erect some sheds similarto those we had already several times built. A quantity of the_sindicaspi_, or "wood that burns, " was speedily cut, and fires werelighted, at which we dried our drenched clothes. Scarcely had ourpreparations been made, when the threatening storm burst over us, thewind howling and whistling through the trees, which waved to and fro, making a loud rustling sound; while every now and then we could hear thecrashing noise of some patriarch of the forest, as it sank beneath theblast. The rain came in torrents, and the river, surging and swelling, rapidly increased its breadth. We had indeed reason to be thankful thatwe had not delayed our crossing a moment longer. Our fires were soonput out, and water came rushing down on either side of us through theforest. We, however, had chosen a slightly elevated spot for our camp, which, though surrounded by water, had hitherto escaped destruction. The rain continuing to pour down in a perfect deluge, compelled us toremain in our camp. So secure, however, had the roofs been made, thatwe kept dry inside. Occasionally John, Arthur, and I ran into Ellen'shut to pay her a visit. We found her and Maria sitting very composedly, employing themselves with their work, which they produced from one ofthe bundles they had unpacked. Don Jose remained in his hut, attendedby Isoro. He was much more out of spirits than we had yet seen him. 

"My young friends, " he said, "I must soon bid you farewell. I hadresolved to accompany you till I could see you embarked on the river. We shall reach it, I hope, in three or four days at furthest, but Icannot be longer absent from my people in these troubled times. I hopethat you will soon overtake your father and family, who, from theaccounts I have received, intend to wait for you at the mouth of theriver, where it joins the Amazon. Though I must return, Isoro hasexpressed a wish to accompany you. You will find his assistance ofvalue, as he has been among the wild tribes you will encounter on yourpassage, and knows their habits and customs. They are very differentfrom the people you have hitherto met, and may give you much annoyance, unless cautiously dealt with. "

We were very sorry to hear of Don Jose's intention of leaving us, as wehad hoped that he intended to accompany us till we could overtake ourfather, though we were greatly obliged to him for his proposal ofallowing Isoro to remain with us. 

Once more, the clouds clearing away, we proceeded on our journey. Wemade, however, but slow progress, as in many places the sipos which hadovergrown the path had to be cut way to allow of our passage through theforest. I can scarcely attempt to convey in words an idea of the densemass of foliage amid which we had to force our way. Vast roots likehuge snakes ran out over the ground in all directions, their upper partsforming huge buttresses to the giant stems. Then large ferns shotupwards, while a thick network of vines hung festooned in every possibleform above our heads, many hanging down straight to the ground, whilenumberless curious air-plants hung suspended from the branches. Now andthen gaily-plumaged birds were seen flitting amid the thick shade; butwe were surprised at the paucity of animal life which existed. Not aquadruped was to be seen. A few monkeys and parrots were occasionallyheard, though rarely caught sight of. We had numerous streams to cross;often, indeed, the same stream to cross several times. Frequently thepassage was almost as dangerous as that I have described. Sometimes westopped at the huts of the natives, where we were as usual wellreceived. They were built of bamboo, fastened together with lianas orsipos, the roofs covered with large palm-leaves. They willinglysupplied us with such provisions as they possessed. The chief articlewas _yuca_ flour, with which we made cakes. It is the beet-like root ofa small tree about ten feet high. When not hunting, the men appeared tospend their time in idleness. The women, however, were occasionallyemployed in manufacturing a thread called _pita_ from the leaves of thealoe, which they carry to Quito for sale. Occasionally the mencollected vanilla. It is a graceful climber, belonging to the orchidfamily. The stalk, the thickness of a finger, bears at each joint alanceolate and ribbed leaf a foot long and three inches broad. It haslarge star-like white flowers, intermixed with stripes of red andyellow, which fill the forest with delicious odours. They are succeededby long slender pods, containing numerous seeds imbedded in a thick oilybalsamic pulp. The seeds, which are highly esteemed, are used forflavouring chocolate and other purposes. Monkeys are very fond of them, and pick all they find, so that few are left on the wild plants forman's use. Vanilla is, however, cultivated in Mexico and other parts ofthe world. The Indians also collected copal. It is a gum which exudesfrom a lofty leguminous tree, having a bark like that of the oak. 

However, I must hurry on with an account of our journey. When we metwith no habitations on our way, we were compelled to build sheds in thedriest and most open spots we could find. At length, through an archedopening in the forest, the bright sheen of water caught our eyes, andhurrying on, we found ourselves standing on the bank of a stream, whichopened up to us a watery highway to the Atlantic. 

Still, we were well aware that we had many dangers to encounter. Formany hundred leagues we could not hope to meet with Europeans, andalthough the natives among whom we had hitherto travelled had beenfriendly, we knew that numerous tribes existed along the banks of theAmazon or its tributaries, who might prove hostile to strangers. Ourchief anxiety, however, was about our father and mother. When we mightonce more meet, we could not tell. Still we felt sure that they wouldnot willingly proceed till we had overtaken them. 

We had arrived at a part of the river at a distance from any nativevillage. We had therefore to depend on ourselves for the means ofmaking our intended voyage. We were prepared, however, to build canoesof sufficient size for the accommodation of our reduced party. Accordingly we set to work to erect huts of a more substantial characterthan those we had hitherto built, in which we might live in some degreeof comfort till the work was accomplished. With the assistance of ourbearers, in a few hours we had a good-sized hut of bamboos put up, andstrongly thatched with palm-leaves. One portion was walled in with adivision forming two apartments. The larger was devoted to theaccommodation of Ellen and her sable attendant. In the other, our goodswere stored; while the rest of us slung our hammocks in a large openverandah, which formed, indeed, the greater part of the building. Itwas completed before nightfall. In front, between us and the river, alarge fire was made up, which, fed by a peculiar kind of wood growingnear, kept alight for many hours without being replenished. 

We were seated at our evening meal, when we heard footsteps rapidlyapproaching, and an Indian appeared and saluted Don Jose. He was astranger, and had evidently been travelling rapidly. Presenting apacket, he sank down on the ground with fatigue. A cup of _guayusa_ teasoon revived him. Don Jose meantime opened his packet, and hastily readthe contents. 

"My young friends, " he said, "I regret that I must immediately bid youfarewell. I cannot longer be absent from my people. I know not whatmay occur; but if their leaders are away, they will have no hope ofobtaining their freedom. Your father, however, was right to escape fromthe country. I am thankful to say that I can give you tidings of him. He has reached the mouth of the Napo in safety, and is there encamped, awaiting your arrival. Here, John, is a missive your father desires meto deliver to you. "

Our friend handed my brother a note written hurriedly in pencil. It ranthus: "The messenger is about to leave, so I must be brief. We are allwell, and purpose waiting your arrival on this healthy spot, near themouth of the Napo. You will without difficulty find it, though we shallbe on the watch for all canoes coming down the stream. Pass two riverson your left hand, then a high bluff of red clay interspersed withstripes of orange, yellow, grey, and white. Proceed another league, till you pass, on a low point, a grove of bamboos. Rounding it, youwill find a clear spot on a low hill overlooking the stream. It isthere I have fixed our temporary abode. "

"Oh, surely there will be no difficulty in finding them!" exclaimedEllen. "I wish that the canoes were ready--or could we not set off byland?"

"I fear that you would have to encounter many difficulties, " observedDon Jose, "if you were to make the attempt. I must counsel patience, the most difficult of all virtues. I wish that I could accompany you--or, at all events, remain till the canoes are ready; but you will findIsoro a skilful builder, and I will direct him to procure the assistanceof some of the natives of this region, who will afterwards act as yourcrew, and navigate your canoes as far as they can venture down theriver. After that, Isoro will return with them, as I am afraid that Icould not induce him to remain away longer from me, though I wouldgladly let him accompany you if he would. Still I hope that you willhave no great difficulty in accomplishing the short remainder of yourvoyage till you find your father and the rest of your family. "

John and I thanked Don Jose again and again for the aid he had affordedus, and the sacrifices he had made on our account. 

"Do not speak of them, my young friends, " he replied. "I owe much toyour father; and we are united by ties of which he, perhaps, will someday tell you. "

We wished that our friend would explain himself more clearly, but heevidently did not intend to do so, and we therefore could not attempt topress the point. We sat up talking for some time before we turned intoour hammocks. 

Our hut was romantically situated. Before us flowed the rapid river; oneither side rose the thick forest of palms and other trees, round thestems of which circled many a creeper, hanging in festoons from thebranches overhead. In the far distance towered the outer range of thoselofty mountains we were leaving, perhaps for ever; while round us werescattered the temporary wigwams which our attendants had put up forthemselves. The never-ceasing murmur of the waters tended to lull us tosleep in spite of the strange sounds which ever and anon came from theforest, caused by tree-toads and crickets; while occasionally owls, goat-suckers, and frogs joined in the concert with their hooting, wailing, and hoarse croaks. My faithful dog True had taken up his usualplace at night below my hammock. Suddenly I was awaked by hearing himutter a loud bark; and looking down, I saw by the fire, which was stillburning brightly, a huge alligator poking his snout into the verandah, having evidently climbed up the bank with the intention of making a mealoff the dog, or, perhaps, off one of the sleeping natives. True stoodbravely at bay, barking furiously, and yet refusing to retreat. Leapingfrom my hammock, I seized a log, and dashed it in the huge saurian'sface. All the party were speedily on foot. Isoro and Domingos camerushing forward with their long poles to attack the monster; while John, seizing his gun, fired at its head: The ball, however, glanced off itsscaly coat. The reptile, finding itself disappointed of its expectedfeast, and that the odds were against it, retreated, and finally fellover with a loud plash into the stream. The incident warned us of themidnight visitors we might expect, and of the necessity of keeping awatch when sleeping near the river's bank. The fire was made up afresh. We were all soon again asleep, with the exception of one of the men, who was directed by Don Jose to keep watch for the remainder of thenight. 

The next morning our kind friend bade us farewell, and, accompanied bythe bearers, took his way through the forest to the Andes. We saw himgo with great regret. We remembered the dangers he would have toencounter, and we felt how probable it was that we should never againsee him. Our party now consisted of Ellen, Maria, John, Arthur and I, Domingos and Isoro. John and I had our rifles; and Domingos a brace oflong horse-pistols, which he took from his holsters when the mules weresent back; with a fair supply of ammunition. We had axes, and a fewother tools for building our canoe; a stock of provisions, which hadbeen carefully husbanded; and some bales of cotton and other articleswith which to repay the natives for their services, or to purchase food. Isoro was armed with a long bow and spear, and Arthur was anxious toprovide himself with similar weapons. 

As soon as Don Jose had gone, Isoro set out according to his directionsto find some natives. We were still, it will be remembered, withinPeruvian territory; and although but slight communication was kept upwith the natives of the scattered villages, yet the Spaniards had forsome years past made their power felt, as the Incas had done in formerages, even in these remote districts. Isoro said he had therefore nofear of being ill-treated by any of the natives he might encounter. 

As soon as breakfast was over, while John and Domingos remained at thehut, assisting Ellen and Maria to overhaul and re-arrange our goods, Arthur and I strolled out to try and shoot some birds. We had not gonefar when we heard, at a little distance off, some loud, shrill, yelpingcries. I was sure they were produced by birds, yet Arthur couldscarcely believe it. The noises came, it seemed, from above our heads. Looking up, we at length caught sight of several large birds, perched onthe higher branches above us, with enormous bills. We approachedcautiously, hiding ourselves underneath some wide palm-leaves, betweenwhich we could observe the noisy assemblage. The birds seemed to beshouting out "To-o-cano, to-o-cano, " and it is on this account that theIndians give them the name from which we derive that of toucans. Onewas perched above the rest, and he kept bending his neck downwards, andlooking about in the most knowing way, as if to ascertain what sort ofcreatures we could be. The rest seemed to be employing themselves inpicking some fruit, every now and then throwing up their huge beaks asif to let it slip down their throats. As we were anxious to procuresome fresh food for dinner, I had been getting my gun ready as quietlyas possible, and having selected the bird nearest to me, I raised it tomy shoulder and fired. Down came the bird, fluttering among thebranches, and we ran forward to secure our prize. On examining it, wefound that its feet were like those of a parrot. It was of a blackcolour, with a gloss of green; about fifteen inches in length, with along tail and short wings; the feathers at the bottom of the back beingof a sulphur hue. The cheeks, throat, and fore part of the breast, wereof the same tint, while across the lower part of the breast was a broadcrimson bar; the under part being also crimson. The remainder of theflock having flown away, I was unable to obtain another shot. Thesebirds we afterwards saw in great numbers. Their large beaks give theman awkward appearance when flying, yet when climbing about the treesthey are evidently of great assistance, as also in picking fruit, orcatching the insects they find among the bark. 

We went some distance before I could get another shot. I then killed agreen parrot, and soon after another. Arthur could scarcely believethat we should find them fit for eating. I was on the point of takingaim at a monkey which came peering out at us among the boughs, when hedrew back my arm. 

"You surely will not kill that creature!" he exclaimed. "I could neverbring myself to eat it, if you do; and I am sure your sister would not. "

I told him that monkeys form the principal food of many of the tribes inthe country. 

"Oh, but then they are no better than cannibals, " he answered. 

"Wait a little till we are pressed for want of food, " I said. "Rememberour stock of provisions is but small, and if we were to beover-particular, we should starve. " The monkey, however, by hisintervention escaped. 

We went on for some time, gradually entering a denser part of the forestthan we had yet reached. Sipos hung down from every bough, forming acurious tracery of living cordage above our heads, and more completelyuniting the tall trees than even the masts of a ship are by the rigging, so that an active midshipman, or a still more agile monkey--I hope theformer will pardon me for mentioning them together--could have nodifficulty in progressing high up from the ground for miles togetherthrough the forest. Strange air-plants swung suspended from thebranches, some like the crowns of huge pine-apples, others like parasolswith fringes, or Chinese umbrellas--indeed, of all shapes and hues;while climbing plants of the most diverse and ornamental foliagepossible wound their way upwards, and then formed graceful and elegantfestoons, yet further to adorn this mighty sylvan palace. Such a scene, though often witnessed, seemed fresh and beautiful as at first. As Iwished to get another shot or two, we crept slowly on, concealingourselves as much as possible, lest any birds perched on the boughsmight see us and fly away. There was little difficulty in doing soamongst the huge fern and palm-like foliage which surrounded us. In ashort time we heard ahead of us a strange chattering and rustling in thetrees, and moving cautiously on, we caught sight of a number of darkobjects moving about at a rapid rate among the sipos. Stealingcautiously forward, we discovered them to be monkeys at their gambols;and curious gambols they were too. They had white faces, with blackcoats and thin bodies and limbs, and still longer tails, which keptwhisking and twirling and whirling about in the most extraordinarystyle. Not for a moment were these tails of theirs at rest, except whenthey had hold of branches to allow their other limbs more freedom. Idid not suppose that such muscular power could have existed in ananimal's tail. They seemed to be playing each other all sorts ofcomical tricks. Now one would catch hold of a horizontal sipo, andswing vehemently backwards and forwards; now two or three would scrambleup a perpendicular one, and a fourth would catch hold of the tail of thelast and hang by it, whisking about his own tail meantime till it hadfound a branch of liana, when he would let go, and bring himself upagain by that wonderful member of his, and skip away to a distance fromhis playmate, who might attempt to retaliate. If one happened for aninstant to be sitting quietly on a sipo, or gently winging backwards andforwards, another was sure to come behind him and pull his tail, or givehim a twitch on the ear, and then throw himself off the sipo out of theother's reach, holding on, however, firmly enough by his long appendage. One big fellow came creeping up thus behind another, and gave him a slypinch on the neck. So funny was the face which the latter made as heturned round and lifted up his paw to give the other a box on the ear, that Arthur and I burst into fits of laughter. This startled the wholeflock, who peered about them, skipping here and there, chattering toeach other, as if to inquire the cause of the strange sounds which hadreached their ears. At length one, bolder than the rest, creeping near, caught sight of us, when back he went to communicate the intelligence tohis companions. A hurried consultation was evidently held by them, andthen more came to look down at us, keeping wisely in the upper branches. We tried to be silent; but so extraordinary were the grimaces they madewith their funny little white physiognomies, that we again burst intoshouts of laughter, in which True joining with a loud bark, offscampered the monkeys, whisking their long tails, along the sipos andbranches, till they were hid from sight, although we could still heartheir chattering in the distance. I could not have had the heart tofire at such frolicsome creatures, even had we been more pressed forfood than was the case. 

"I wish that we could get one of them to tame, " exclaimed Arthur. "Itwould make a delightful pet for your sister, and a capital playmate forTrue. They would become great friends, depend on it. He sadly wants acompanion of his own amount of intellect, poor fellow. "

"I doubt as to their having any intellect, and I don't think True wouldconsider himself complimented by having them compared to him, " Ianswered, laughing, though a little piqued that the sense of myfavourite should be rated on an equality with that of a monkey. Wediscussed the matter as we went along. I was compelled to acknowledgeat last that though True had sense, he might not even have reason, onlyinstinct verging on it strongly developed. 

"And what are those monkeys?" asked Arthur, who had not quite agreedwith me, and wished to change the subject. 

"I have no doubt that they are what the French call `spider monkeys, '" Ianswered. "I found a description of them in my book, under the title ofAteles, or Coaita. The white-faced species is the _Ateles marginatus_. There are several species very similar in their appearance and habits. "

I have more to say by-and-by about these spider monkeys. 

We now found that it was time to begin our return to the river. As wewere walking on we caught sight of some object moving among the tallgrass. Arthur, True, and I followed at full speed. I had my gun readyto fire. It was a huge serpent. It seemed, however, more afraid of usthan we were of it. On it went like a dark stream running amidst theverdure, moving almost in a straight line, with only the slightestperceptible bends, and it soon disappeared among the thick underwood. From its size it would have been an awkward creature to be surprised byunarmed; and True, I suspect, would have had little chance of escaping. 

Shortly afterwards, looking up among the branches, we saw overhead alarge flight of parrots. From their curious way of moving they seemedto be fighting in the air. Presently down one fell from among them, pitching into a soft clump of grass. I ran forward, expecting to findit dead; but scarcely had I taken it in my hand, than it revived, and Ihad no doubt it had been stunned by a blow on the head from one of itscompanions. It was of a bright green plumage, with a patch of scarletbeneath the wings. "I am sure your sister would like it for a pet, "exclaimed Arthur; "do let us take it to her!" The parrot, however, seemed in no way disposed to submit to captivity, but struggledviolently and bit at our fingers. I managed, however, to secure itsbeak, and we carried it in safety to the hut. 

"Oh, what a beautiful little creature!" exclaimed Ellen as she saw it. "I have been so longing to have some pets, and I am much obliged to youfor bringing it to me. "

"I have tamed many birds, " said Maria, "and I hope soon to make this onevery amiable and happy. "

Domingos, however, declared that the bird could not be kept without acage. Some bamboos were growing at a short distance. He cut severalsmall ones, and in a short time had constructed a good-sized cage, withthe bars sufficiently close prevent the little stranger escaping. Hethen set to work to pluck the birds we had killed, and they were quicklyroasting, spitted between forked sticks, before the fire. While we wereengaged in preparing dinner we caught sight of several persons comingalong the banks of the river. Isoro led the way; six natives followed. They were clad in somewhat scanty garments--a sort of kilt of matting, ornamented with feathers, round their waists, their cheeks and bodypainted with red and yellow. They were, however, pleasant-looking men. They had quivers at their backs, and long tubes, which I soon found tobe blow-pipes, in their hands. True at first evidently did not approveof their presence, and went growling about, showing his teeth; but whenhe saw us treat them as friends, he became quiet, and went and lay downat the entrance to Ellen's room, eyeing them, however, as if not quitesatisfied about the matter. 

Isoro introduced the tallest of the party, whose kilt was rather moreornamented than those of his companions, as their chief--Naro by name. He had agreed to build us a couple of canoes, of sufficient size toconvey us down the more dangerous parts of the river. After this wewere to proceed in one, while he and his men returned in the other. Wewere to repay him with a dozen yards of cloth, a couple of knives, somebeads, and other articles. 

As soon as we had finished our roasted toucans and parrots, we set forthwith our new allies in search of suitable trees for the shells of theboats. We hunted about for some time before they could fix on one. Atlength they pointed out one about fifteen feet in circumference. Someof the bark being cut off. I saw that the wood was of a yellow colour, and of a soft nature, which could be easily worked. The Indians, however, shook their heads, declaring that though the wood was good fora canoe, the tree was too large to be cut down. Isoro, in answer, toldthem that if they could make a canoe out of it, he would undertake tofell it. He soon showed his countrymen that he would make his wordsgood, and wielding his sharp axe, he quickly cut a deep notch in thetree. Naro now seemed satisfied. While some of the party hewed at thetrunk, others climbed the neighbouring trees to cut away the festoons ofsipos and other creepers which might impede its fall. A road also hadto be cleared to the river for the distance of nearly a quarter of amile. All hands assisted in this work, and by evening we had madeconsiderable progress. 

The Indians camped round us at night. One of them had broken hisblow-pipe, and was employed in taking it to pieces for the purpose ofmending it. I had thus an opportunity of seeing how it was made. Itwas about ten feet long, and composed of two separate lengths of wood, each of which was scooped out so as to form one-half of the tube. Theirtools appeared to be made of the teeth of some animal, which Iafterwards found were those of the paca. These two pieces thus hollowedout are fastened together by winding round them long flat slips of theclimbing palm-tree called the jacitara. The tube is then covered overwith black bees'-wax. A mouth-piece made of wood is fastened to oneend, which is broader than the other. From this it tapers away towardsthe muzzle. I was surprised to find how heavy the instrument was when Icame to try and shoot from one. It is called by a variety of names--bythe Spaniards, _zarabatana_; by some natives, the _samouran_; by others, the _tarbucan_; by the Portuguese, the _gravatana_. The arrows are madefrom thin strips of the hard rind of the leaf-stalks of palms, and arescraped at the end till they become as sharp as needles. Round thebutt-end is wound a little mass from the silk-cotton tree, which exactlyfits into the bore of the blow-pipe. The quivers were very neatlyformed of the plaited strips of a plant growing wild, from whicharrow-root is made. The upper part consisted of a rim of the red woodof the japura, highly polished; and it was secured over the shoulder bya belt ornamented with coloured fringes and tassels of cotton. Weafterwards saw blow-pipes formed in a different way, two stems of smallpalms being selected, of different sizes, the smaller exactly to fitinside the larger. Thus any curve existing in the one is counteractedby that of the other. The arrows are tipped with the far-famed wouralipoison, which quickly kills any animal they wound. 

Next morning we returned to the tree, and worked away as before. Arthurand I undertook to cut down some smaller trees, to serve as rollers onwhich to drag the huge trunk to the side of the river, where it was tobe hollowed out. We had, however, to supply ourselves with food, andtwo of our new friends prepared to go in search of game with theirblow-pipes. Arthur and I begged to accompany them; but they made signsthat we must not fire off our guns, as we should quickly put the game toflight, and that we must keep at a distance behind them. 

"I wonder what they are going to shoot, " asked Arthur. 

"We shall soon see, " I answered, as we followed our friends. 

The noise of our operations in the forest had driven away most of itsusual inhabitants from the neighbourhood. We therefore had to go somedistance before we came in sight of any game. We kept, as we hadpromised, a little behind our friends. Suddenly one of them stopped, and raising his blow-pipe, a sound like that from a large pop-gun washeard, and we saw a bird, pierced by an arrow, fluttering among thebranches. Gradually its wings ceased to move, and down fell a parrot. Advancing a little further, the Indian made us a sign to stop; andlooking up among the branches, we caught sight of a troop of the samecurious little monkeys with long tails which we had seen the day before. They kept frisking about, now climbing up the sipos, now throwingthemselves down, hanging by their tails, and swinging backwards andforwards. Presently one of the natives lifted his blow-pipe, from whichsped an arrow, piercing one of the poor little creatures. It hung foran instant by its tail round a branch, and then fell with a crash amongthe thick leaves. The others kept jumping about, apparently not awareof what had happened to their companion. Thus three or more werebrought down before the rest discovered the enemy in theirneighbourhood. They then all went off at a rapid rate, swingingthemselves from branch to branch, but stopped again at a short distanceto watch us. 

"I would give anything to have one of those active little fellowsalive!" exclaimed Arthur. "Don't you think, Harry, that we could makethe Indians understand what we want?"

"We will try, at all events, " I answered. "But I beg that you won'tlaugh at my pantomime. "

Galling to the Indians, I took one of their arrows, and pointing ittowards the monkeys, which were still to be seen a little way before usamong the trees, eyeing us curiously, I shook my head violently, to showthat I did not want it killed. Then I ran forward, and pretended tocatch one, and to lead it along. "Now, Arthur, you must act themonkey, " I exclaimed. On this he began frisking about, putting out hishand behind to represent a tail, while I pretended to be soothing him bystroking him on the head and back, and thus inducing him to accompanyme. 

The Indians watched us attentively, and then nodding their beads, beganto talk together. They soon seemed to be agreed as to what we wanted, and signing to us to remain quiet, one of them again crept cautiouslytowards the monkeys, still frisking about within sight, while the othersat down with Arthur and me. We eagerly watched the Indian. He firstselected an arrow, the point of which he scraped slightly and wetted. Presently he placed his blow-pipe within the loop of a sipo. 

"Why, he's going to kill one of the poor creatures after all!" exclaimedArthur. 

"It looks very like it, " I answered. "But we shall see. "

The Indian waited for a few seconds, and then out flew his tiny dartwith a loud pop. One of the monkeys was hit. "Oh dear! oh dear!" criedArthur. "They could not have understood us. " The monkey had beenstruck when hanging to one of the lower branches; it fell before it hadtime to save itself with its long tail, and the Indian instantlyspringing forward, caught it, and pulled out the dart. He then tooksomething out of the bag hanging at his waist, and put it into itsmouth, which he kept closed to prevent it from spluttering it out. Thepoor creature seemed so stunned or bewildered by its fall, and atfinding itself suddenly in the grasp of a strange being twenty times itsown size, that it made no resistance. The Indian brought it to us inhis arms, much as a nurse carries a baby, and showed us that it was notmuch the worse for its wound. As we went along we observed that itseyes, which were at first dim, had quickly recovered their brightness, while its tail began to whisk about and coil itself round the native'sarm. We were at a loss to account for the wonderful way in which it hadso speedily recovered; nor did the Indians seem disposed to tell ustheir secret. 

"I should so like to carry the little creature, it seems already so tameand gentle, " said Arthur. 

"You had better not take it from the Indian, or it may give you an uglybite, and be off and up a tree in a twinkling, " I answered. "It has nocause to love us as yet, at all events. "

Arthur still insisting that he could carry the monkey, asked the Indianto let him have it. The native shook his head, and signified that themonkey would to a certainty escape if he did. At last, however, he andhis companion stopped, and fastened the creature's tail tightly to itsback, then they wound a quantity of fibre round its front paws, andfinally put a muzzle over its mouth. "There; you may manage to carryhim now, " they seemed to say. "But take care, he may slip out of hisbonds even yet, if you do not hold him fast. "

The monkey glanced up at the countenance of Arthur, who looked downkindly at the creature, and carried it gently so as not to hurt it. 

"I should like to give it a name, " he said; "something appropriate. "

"We will consult Ellen on that important matter, " I answered. "When shesees how active it is, I think she will call it Nimble. "

"Oh yes; that would be a capital name. Do let us call it Nimble, " heexclaimed. 

"You and Ellen shall choose its name, and I am sure that John will agreeto whatever you decide, " I replied. 

This made Arthur perfectly contented, and he walked along stroking themonkey and talking gently to it, till the animal evidently began to feelconfidence in him, and lay perfectly quiet in his arms. 

The Indians did not as yet appear satisfied with the amount of game theyhad killed, and were on the look-out for more. I kept my gun inreadiness for a shot. "Pray, Harry, do not kill another spider monkey, "said Arthur; "it would make Nimble so unhappy, I am sure. " I promisedthat I would not; indeed, I had not the heart to wish even to shoot oneof the merry little creatures. 

We soon afterwards, however, came in sight of several much largermonkeys, with stouter limbs, but excessively active, and furnished withlong, strong, flexible tails. I recognised them as the species calledby the Portuguese _Macaco barrigudo_, or the big-bellied monkey. TheIndians shot one of them with their blow-pipes, the rest wisely swingingthemselves off. The creature had a black and wrinkled face, with a lowforehead and projecting eyebrows. The body was upwards of two feet inlength, and the tail not much less. As the Indians held him up, Arthurand I agreed that he looked exactly like an old negro. 

By the evening we had as many birds and monkeys as we could carry. Arthur offered to carry some of the birds in addition to Nimble, declaring that he could not bring himself to eat our four-handed game. "And that negro-looking old fellow, I would starve rather than touchhim!" he exclaimed. "And as for Domingos, I should think him a cannibalif he were to eat him. " Arthur, as we went along, kept trying toprevent his little charge from seeing its dead companions. "I am surethat it would make him unhappy, " he observed; "for how can he tell thathe is not going to be treated in the same way!"

So like was one part of the forest to another, that I had no idea wewere near our huts when we came in sight of them True heard usapproaching and came bounding forth to meet us, leaping up first to lickmy hands and then sniffing up at poor little Nimble, who trembled atseeing him, and after vainly endeavouring to escape, clung tightly toArthur for protection. "Do call off True; there's a good fellow!"exclaimed Arthur. "He will frighten poor little Nimble to death; butwhen they are better acquainted they will become very good friends, Idare say. " I called True to me, and presently Ellen and Maria camerunning out of the hut towards us. Ellen was greatly pleased withNimble, and thanked Arthur very much for having brought him. We carriedNimble into the hut, and Domingos found a leathern strap to fasten roundhis waist, by which he was secured to one of the beams in the roof. Here he could run from side to side of the hut, out of the reach ofTrue. He kept looking down on us somewhat scared at first at his novelposition, but in a short time took some nuts and fruit readily fromArthur's hand, and after examining and cautiously tasting them, toascertain that they suited his palate, ate a hearty meal. 

Ellen told us that she and Maria had been greatly alarmed during ourabsence by the appearance of a large creature--from their account a pumaor a jaguar--which had come close to the hut. True had behaved nobly instanding on the defensive, while they had screamed and waved sticks totry to frighten it off. For some time, however, they were afraid thatit would attack them, but at last it turned tail and retreated into theforest. 

Domingos and our Indian friends lost no time in preparing the game whichwe had killed. Arthur and I watched them, when Domingos, without at allrecognising the likeness which Arthur and I had discovered in the_macaco barrigudo_ to himself, began without ceremony to skin it, and ina short time had it spitted and roasting before the fire. We had formeda rough table, and the first article of food which Domingos placed on itwas a portion of the big monkey on a plantain leaf. 

"Ah!" he said, "I have reserved this for you; for the meat is superiorto that of either the other monkeys or the birds. Just try it, and youwill agree with me. "

Had he not talked about the monkey, probably no one would have objectedto the meat, which did look very nice; but Ellen and Arthur both beggedto have some of the birds, with the addition of some roasted plantainsand farinha cakes. We made a very substantial meal, John and I agreeingthat the big _macaco_ was very nice food. Domingos thought so also, ashe had claimed a joint as his own share. 

I was awoke at night by hearing a strange rushing noise round my head, and raising it above the hammock I caught sight of numberless darkcreatures with huge wings which kept sweeping round and round here andthere through the verandah. Presently one of them pitched on the clewof my hammock. There was sufficient light from the bright stars to seeits shape, and I beheld a creature with large ears standing out from thesides and top of its head, a spear-shaped appendage on the tip of itsnose, while a pair of glittering black eyes and a grinning mouth gave itthe appearance of a little imp. Presently it expanded its large wingsand floated towards my head. I could stand this no longer, and singingout, dealt it a blow with my palm which sent it flying away. The cryawoke my companions, who jumped out of their hammocks, wondering whatwas the matter. We were quickly engaged in driving out the intruders, which we now discovered to be vampire bats. "Hillo!" cried Arthur, "what is the matter with my foot? There is blood flowing from it!" Wefound that one of the creatures had been sucking his too. John bound itup, and in a short time tranquillity was restored, and we were all soonin our hammocks. Hideous as these creatures appear, they are harmless, as the puncture they make is but slight, and the wound quickly heals. They showed their sense by selecting our hut for their night quarters, as they there found themselves more secure from the beasts which prey onthem than in their abodes in the forest. 

In the morning we examined several we had knocked down. They measuredtwenty-eight inches across the wings, which were of a leatheryconsistency, the bodies being covered with grey hair. We found theirstomachs filled with the pulp and seeds of fruits, with the remains of afew insects only. 

Our new friend Nimble soon became reconciled to his lot. Though he tookfood readily enough from Arthur, and by degrees let Ellen and Mariastroke his back, when any one else came near him he clambered up as highas he could reach into the roof. He soon discovered that True could notclimb up to his perch, and in a short time he would swing himself off byhis tail within a foot or two of the dog's nose, stretching out his pawsas if he were going to catch him by the ear, taking good care to beready to spring again far out of his reach should True show theslightest signs of leaping up. 

"It won't be long before we see Master Nimble riding on True's back, andusing his tail as a whip, " said Arthur, who had been watching the twoanimals. He was right; and in a few days Nimble and True became verygood friends. 

Our boat-building proceeded well. A log of twenty feet in length havingbeen cut off and placed on the rollers, we secured a number of toughlianas to it, and using them as traces, dragged it down to the river. We could, however, move it but slowly, and two whole days were thusconsumed. The upper side being smoothed off, a slit was made down thewhole length, which was opened slowly by wedges. Having cleared out aconsiderable portion of the inside, it was turned over and raised ontrestles. Beneath it a fire was made along the whole length. Otherpieces of hard wood were gradually driven in with wedges to increase theopening, the larger ones being in the centre, where the width was to bethe greatest. In about eight hours the work was thus far completed. The bow and tern were made of hewn planks in a circular form, fastenedwith wooden pins. A plank on each side was next secured, and benchesfixed in. The seams were caulked with gum collected from trees growingnear, mixed with resin, which exuded from the trunks of others. We thusconstructed a vessel, of sufficient size to make a voyage of upwards ofone thousand miles down the mighty river, solely of materials found inthe wilderness. Paddles were also quickly formed by the Indians of thetough wood of another tree, which they split into boards. They thenwove some mats for sails, lianas of different thicknesses serving ascordage. 

After this our native friends selected another tree, from which theyproposed to form the second canoe. This was to be smaller, that theymight be able to paddle it up against the stream. It was built in thesame way as the first, but without mast or sails. 

CHAPTER SIX. 

VOYAGE ON THE RIVER COMMENCED. 

All was now ready for our departure from our first halting-place. Earlyin the morning, having carefully laden our two vessels, we embarked. John, Ellen, Maria, and Domingos went in the larger one, accompanied byNimble and Poll, with Naro and two of his followers; while Isoro, Arthur, and I embarked in the smaller, with two of the other men. True, of course, went with us, his usual post being the bow, where he stoodwith his fore-feet on the gunwale, as if it were his especial duty tokeep a look-out ahead. Isoro acted as captain, and Arthur and I and thetwo Indians, with paddles in our hands, formed the crew. Shoving offfrom the bank, we rapidly glided down the river, the current carrying usalong at a great rate with little aid from our paddles. The large canoetook the lead, we following in her wake. The water whirled and eddiedas we glided on. On either side rose the giant trees of the primevalforest--while, looking astern, we could see far away across the mightymass of foliage the range of the Andes, with the beautiful cone ofCotopaxi standing out boldly above its fellows. 

We soon, however, had something else to think of. Several dark roundedrocks rose up ahead of us, between which the water furiously rushed, dashing against their sides, and throwing up clouds of spray, whilewhirling, boiling eddies came bursting up from the bottom, as if somesubaqueous explosion were taking place. Short cross waves curled upround us, with here and there smooth intervening spaces, the moretreacherous for their apparent calmness; for as we passed through themwe could with difficulty keep the head of our small canoe in thedirection of our leader. The Indians plied their paddles with redoubledvigour, while the helmsman of John's canoe every now and then gave ventto loud, wild shrieks. Isoro sat calmly clenching his teeth, andlooking out eagerly ahead. The large canoe went gliding on. And now wesaw her passing between two rocks, over which the water dashing formedan arch of spray, almost concealing her from our sight. Presently wealso were passing through the same channel. It seemed as if our smallcanoe would be swamped by the swelling waters. The clouds of spraywhich broke over her almost blinded us, the loud roaring, hissing soundof the waves as they rushed against the rocks deafened our ears, whilethe whirling current so confused our senses, that we could scarcely tellin what direction we were going. 

"O Harry, what has become of the other canoe?" exclaimed Arthur. 

A dark rock rose before us. No canoe was to be seen. A horror seizedme. I feared that she had been engulfed. But presently, Isoro turningthe head of our canoe, we shot past the rock, and to our joy again sawthe other canoe rushing on with still greater speed towards anotheropening in the channel. We followed even faster than before. Thecurrent seemed to increase in rapidity as we advanced, pressed togetherby the narrower channel. Yet, fast as we went, we could scarcely keeppace with our leader. Now we glided on smoothly, now we pitched andtossed as the mimic waves rose up round us, and thus we went on, thenavigation requiring the utmost watchfulness and exertion to escapedestruction. We, perhaps, in our smaller canoe, were safer than thosein the larger one; indeed, I thought more of them than ourselves. Should we meet with any accident, however, they could not return to helpus, whereas we might push forward to their assistance. We followed themovements of the Indians. When they paddled fast, we also exertedourselves; when they ceased, we also lifted our paddles out of thewater. I was very glad that we were thus employed, as we, having plentyto do, thought less of the danger we were in. 

After being thus tossed about for I cannot judge how long, every momentrunning the risk of being dashed on the rocks, now on one side, now onthe other, we found the river again widening and the current flowing onmore tranquilly. In a short time, however, we came to another rapid. Once more we were amid the wild tumult of waters. The current rushed onwith fearful speed. Now we saw the stern of the leading canoe liftedup, and it appeared as if her bows were going under. I could notrefrain from uttering a shriek of horror. Isoro and the Indiansremained calm, just guiding our canoe. John's canoe disappeared. On wewent, expecting the same fate which I dreaded had overtaken her. Aninstant afterwards we saw her again gliding on calmly. Downwards weslid over a watery hill, the Indians paddling with might and main, wefollowing their example. We had descended a fall such as I shouldscarcely have supposed it possible so small a boat as ours could havepassed over in safety. Our companions continued plying their paddles, sending out their breath in a low grunt, as if they had been holding itin for some minutes. 

We now came up with the other canoe, which had been waiting for us. 

"That was nervous work!" exclaimed John "I am thankful we are throughthe falls; they are the worst we shall meet with. "

Paddling on till nearly dark, we landed on an island, where it wasproposed we should pass the night. There were but few trees in thecentre, the rest consisting of sand and rock. This spot had beenselected to avoid the risk of being surprised by unfriendly natives orprowling jaguars. The canoes were hauled up, the goods landed, andfires were lighted, round which we were soon seated taking our eveningmeal. The Indians then cut a number of stout poles, which they droveinto the ground, forming a square, the roof being thatched over withpalm-leaves, extending some distance beyond the poles, so as to formdeep eaves. To these poles were hung up our hammocks, a small partbeing, as usual, partitioned off for Ellen and Maria. This was ourusual style of encampment. When the trees grew sufficiently wide apart, we sometimes secured our hammocks to them, with a roof such as I havementioned above our heads. The fires were kept up all night, and awatch set to prevent surprise, should any unfriendly natives find usout, and come across the river in their canoes. Isoro advised us alwaysto select an island for our night encampment. "Indeed, " he observed, "it would be safer never to land on the banks, if you can avoid sodoing. "

Our Indians, besides their usual blow-pipes, had come provided withharpoons and lines for catching fish. Generally, at the end of ourday's voyage, they would go out in the smaller canoe, and invariablycome back with a good supply. 

Arthur and I, with True, one day accompanied Naro and two of his men. While the Indians remained in the canoe, we landed and walked along thesandy shore of the island. True ran before us, shoving his nose intothe tall reeds and rushes. Suddenly out he backed, barking furiously, but still retreating, and evidently less disposed than usual for battle. Fully expecting to see a huge anaconda come forth, Arthur and I retiredto a safe distance, while I got my gun ready to fire at the serpent whenhe should appear. We stood watching the spot which True still faced, when the reeds were moved aside, and the oddest-looking monster I everset eyes on came slowly forth, and for a moment looked about him. Trueactually turned tail, and fell back on us for support. He would havefaced a lion, but the creature before him had not a vulnerable part onwhich he could lay hold. It meantime, regardless of him or us, made itsway towards the water. It was as grotesque and unlike what we fancy areality as those creatures which the wild imaginations of the paintersof bygone days delighted in producing. How can I describe it? It wascovered all over with armour--back, neck, and head. On its head it worea curiously-shaped helmet, with a long tube in front serving as a snout, while its feet were webbed, and armed with sharp claws at the end of itsthick and powerful legs. From the chin hung two fringe-like membranes, and the throat and neck were similarly ornamented. Naro was not faroff, and came paddling up at a great rate, crying out to us to turn thecreature from the water. Its formidable appearance and size made ussomewhat unwilling to get within reach of its head; for it was fullythree feet long, and its covering would, it appeared, turn off a bullet. Arthur, however, bravely ran in front of it, and True kept barkinground it, keeping wisely beyond its reach. We thus impeded itsprogress; but still it made way, and was just about to launch itselfinto the river when the canoe coming up, Naro's harpoon, struck it underthe shield at the neck. It struggled to get free, but was hauled againon to the sand, and soon dispatched by the Indians. They seemed highlypleased at the capture, and signified that, in spite of its strangeappearance, it was excellent for food. 

"Why, after all, it is only a tortoise!" exclaimed Arthur, who had beenexamining it. A tortoise it was, though the strangest-looking of itstribe, but not at all uncommon. 

The strange creature we had found was a matamata (_Chelys matamata_). It is found plentifully in Demerara, where its flesh is much esteemed. What we took to be a helmet, consisted of two membraneous prolongationsof the skin, which projected out on either side from its broad andflattened head. The back was covered with a shield, with three distinctridges or keels along it, and was broader before than behind. It had astumpy pointed tail. I should add that it feeds only in the water, concealing itself among reeds by the bank, when it darts forward itslong neck and seizes with its sharp beak any passing fish, reptile, orwater-fowl--for it likes a variety of food--or it will swim after themat a great rate. 

We carried the matamata to the camp, and on landing it drew it up withsipos, with its neck stretched out. Ellen could scarcely believe thatit was a real creature. 

"I am very glad that I did not meet it when by myself on the sands. Iam sure that I should have run away, and dreamed about it for nightsafterwards!" she exclaimed. "It was very brave, Harry, of you andArthur to face it; and as for True, he is worthy to take rank with SaintGeorge, for it must have appeared a perfect dragon to him. "

"Barring the want of tail, my sister, " observed John with a laugh. "True will find many more formidable antagonists than the matamata inthese regions, and he must be taught to restrain his ardour, or he maysome day, I fear, `catch a Tartar. '"

Maria meantime stood behind us, lifting up her hands and utteringexclamations of astonishment, as she surveyed the creature at arespectful distance. 

The next evening we again accompanied the Indians. It was very calm, and the water in a narrow channel through which we went smooth andclear, so that we could look down to a great depth and see the fishswimming about in vast numbers. Presently I caught sight of a hugeblack monster gliding silently up the channel just below the surface. It was, however, too far off for the harpoons of the Indians to reachit. We followed, they intimating that we should very likely come upwith it. We had not gone far, when they ceased rowing and pointedahead. There I saw, on the other side of a clump of bamboos which grewon a point projecting into the stream, a creature with a savagecountenance and huge paws resting on the trunk of a tree overhanging thewater. It was of a brownish-yellow colour, the upper parts of the bodyvariegated with irregular oblong spots of black. It was so intentlywatching the stream that it did not appear to observe us. Had it notindeed been pointed out to me, I might not have discovered it, so muchhad it the appearance of the trunk on which it was resting. Presentlywe saw a huge black head projecting out of the stream. In an instantthe jaguar, for such was the animal on the watch, sprang forward andseized its prey. The creature which had thus ventured within the graspof the jaguar was a _manatee_, or sea-cow, the _peixe boi_ of thePortuguese. A fearful struggle ensued, the manatee to escape, thejaguar to hold it fast. I lifted my gun to fire, but the Indians made asign to me to desist. If I should kill the jaguar the manatee wouldescape, and their object was to allow the latter to be too exhausted todo so, and then to shoot the jaguar. Now it appeared as if the jaguarwould drag the water-monster out of its native element, now that theformer would be drawn into it. The sea-cow struggled bravely, but thebeast of prey had got too firm a hold to let it escape. The surface ofthe water was lashed into foam. The jaguar's claws and teeth werefirmly fixed in the thick hide of the sea-cow. Slowly it seemed to bedrawn higher and higher out of its native element. So eager was thesavage beast, that it did not even observe our approach, but continuedwith its sharp teeth gnawing into the back of its defenceless prey. Wenow paddled closer. It turned a look of savage rage towards us, seemingto doubt whether it should let go the manatee and stand on thedefensive, or continue the strife. The way it held the sea-cow gave usa notion of its immense strength. Gradually the efforts of the manateebegan to relax. It was very clear how the combat would have finishedhad we not been present. At a sign from the Indians I lifted my rifleand fired. The ball passed through the jaguar's neck. Though wounded, the fierce animal stood snarling savagely, with its fore-feet on thetrunk of the tree, as if prepared to make a spring into the canoe. While I was reloading, the Indians raised their blow-pipes and sent twoof their slender arrows quivering into its body. Still the jaguar stoodat bay, apparently scarcely feeling the wound. Meantime the hugecow-fish was slipping off the bank. Naro, on seeing this, ordered hismen to paddle forward, while, harpoon in hand, he stood ready to dart itat the manatee. Every moment I expected to see the jaguar spring at us. Just as the manatee was disappearing under the water, the harpoon flewwith unerring aim from Naro's hand, and was buried deeply in its body. Again we backed away from the bank, just in time, it seemed, for inanother moment the jaguar would have sprung at us. Having got out ofits reach, the Indians shot two more of their deadly arrows into itsbody. Still it stood, snarling and roaring with rage at being deprivedof its prey. Gradually its cries of anger ceased, its glaring eyes grewdim, its legs seemed to refuse it support, and slowly it sank back amongthe mass of fern-like plants which bordered the bank. 

Meantime, the Indians were engaged with the harpoon line, now hauling inon it, now slackening it out, a ruddy hue mixing with the currentshowing that the life-blood of the manatee was fast ebbing away. In ashort time the struggles of the huge river monster ceased, and theIndians paddling towards the bank, towed it after them. I was all thewhile looking out for the jaguar. A movement in the shrubs among whichit had fallen showed that it was still alive. I was sure that my shothad not injured it much, and I could scarcely suppose that those lightneedle-like darts could have done it much harm. I reminded Naro of thejaguar. He shook his head in reply. "He will no longer interfere withus, " I understood him to say. The manatee was soon hauled on shore, andas it was too large to be taken bodily into the canoe, the Indians, having thoroughly knocked out any spark of life which might remain, began cutting it up. 

The creature was between seven and eight feet long, and upwards of sixin circumference in the thickest part. The body was perfectly smooth, and of a lead colour. It tapered off towards the tail, which was flat, horizontal, and semicircular, without any appearance of hind limbs. Thehead was not large, though the mouth was, with fleshy lips somewhat likethose of a cow. There were stiff bristles on the lips, and a few hairsscattered over the body. Just behind the head were two powerful ovalfins, having the breasts beneath them. The ears were minute holes, andthe eyes very small. The skin of the back was fully an inch thick, andbeneath it a layer of fat, also an inch or more thick. On examining thefins, or fore-limbs, as they should properly be called, we found bonesexactly corresponding to those of the human arm, with five fingers atthe extremity, every joint distinct, although completely encased in astiff inflexible skin. The manatee feeds on the grass growing at theborders of the lakes and rivers. It swims at a rapid rate, moved on bythe tail and paddles. The female produces generally only one at abirth, and clasps it, so Naro told us, in her paddles while giving itsuck. 

Having cut up the cow, with which we loaded the canoe, we paddled intowards where the jaguar had been seen. The chief and one of hisfollowers without hesitation leaped on shore: Arthur and I followed, when to our surprise we saw the savage brute lying over on its sideperfectly dead. It had been destroyed by the poison on the tip of thearrows, not by the wounds they or my bullet had produced. It wasquickly skinned, cut up, and part of the meat added to our store, whilethe skin, which I thought was the most valuable part, was at my requesttaken on board. 

On emerging from the inlet, we steered for the island, guided by thelight of the camp-fire. We were welcomed with loud shouts by thegenerally impassive Indians, who were delighted with the supply of fleshwhich we had brought. No time was lost in cutting the meat into smallpieces, each person fastening a dozen or more on long skewers. Thesewere stuck in the ground, and slanted over the flames to roast. Themeat tasted somewhat like pork, I thought, but John considered it morelike beef. 

We were one evening approaching a long island with a sand-bank extendingfrom its side. Isoro told us that the Indians were unable to proceedfurther, and that after this we should find the navigation tolerablyeasy. The sand-bank, he said, was frequented by turtles, and they hopedto be able to supply us and themselves with a good store of eggs, and tocatch also some turtles. 

Having hauled up the canoes, and formed our sleeping-places as usual, leaving Domingos in charge of the camp, we all, including Ellen andMaria, set out to search for turtles' eggs, our Indians having in themeantime woven a number of baskets of reeds in which to carry them. Each of the Indians carried a long stick in his hand. We proceeded ashort distance along the bank, till we came to a somewhat higher part. The sand felt quite hot to our feet. The Indians pointed out someslight marks in it, which they told us were made by the turtles. Goingon, one of them stuck his stick into the sand. It sank easily down. Instantly he and his companions were on their knees digging with theirhands, and soon cleared out a hole full of eggs. Upwards of one hundredwere collected from that hole alone. In the meantime the rest weresearching about, and we were soon all on our knees, busily engaged inpicking up the eggs. The eggs were about an inch and a half indiameter, somewhat larger than an ordinary hen's egg. They have thinleathery shells, an oily yoke, and a white which does not coagulate. Having laden ourselves with as many as we could carry in our baskets, wereturned to the camp. Domingos at once set to work to make cakes, mixing the eggs with flour. Others were roasted. The Indians, however, ate them raw. 

While we sat round our camp-fire, Isoro excited our curiosity by anaccount of the way the turtles lay their eggs, and we agreed to startaway the next morning before daybreak to watch the process. He calledus about two hours before daybreak. We found that Naro and two of hismen had already gone off to try and catch some of the animals. Afterwalking a short distance, we discovered the Indians squatting downbehind a shelter of branches, which they had put up to concealthemselves from the turtles. They told us to take our seats by them, and remain quiet. We had not been there long before we saw a number ofdark objects moving over the light coloured sand. Two or three cameclose to us, when the Indians rushing out, quickly turned them on theirbacks, and again ran under shelter. 

We waited for some time till the light of day enabled us to see moreclearly, when, as far as our eyes could reach, we observed the upperpart of the bank covered with turtles, all busily employed with theirbroad-webbed paws in excavating the sand, while others were apparentlyplacing their eggs in the holes they had made. As the morning drew on, they began to waddle away towards the river. The margin of the upperbank was rather steep, and it was amusing to see them tumbling headforemost down the declivity, and then going on again till the leadersreached the water. We now all rushed forward, and were in time to catchseveral, turning them over on their backs, where they lay unable tomove. 

The first comer, Isoro told us, makes a hole about three feet deep. Inthis she lays her eggs, and then covers them up with sand. The nextreaching the shore lays her eggs on the top of her predecessor's, and soon, several turtles will lay one above the others, till the pit, whichholds about one hundred eggs, is full, when the last carefully sweepsthe sand over the hole, so as to make it appear as if it had not beendisturbed. It is only, indeed, from the tracks made by the turtlesthemselves as they are returning to the water that the nests can betraced. In the settled parts of the country great care is taken not todisturb these sand-banks till the whole body of turtles have laid theireggs. Sometimes they occupy fourteen days or more in the business. People are stationed at some elevated spot in the neighbourhood to warnoff any one approaching the bank, and to take care that the timidturtles are in no way disturbed; otherwise it is supposed they woulddesert the ground altogether. 

We had now a large supply of turtle and turtle eggs. Our Indianfriends, well satisfied with their expedition, loaded their canoe almostto the water's edge. We also took on board as many as we could consume. Naro and his followers had behaved very well, but they wereuninteresting people, and had done nothing particular to win our regard. John wrote a letter to Don Jose for Isoro to carry, and we all sentmany messages, expressing our affectionate regard. Had it not been forDon Jose, we might have been subjected to much annoyance and trouble, and been prevented probably from following our family. We each of uspresented Isoro also with a small remembrance. We parted from him withsincere regret; and I believe that had it not been for his devoted loveto his master he would gladly have accompanied us. He and hiscompanions waited till we had embarked in our own canoe, and cast offfrom the shore. A light breeze was blowing down the river. We hoistedour mat sail, and Domingos taking the steering oar, we recommenced ourvoyage down the river. The Indians then set forth on their toilsome oneup the stream, having to paddle with might and main for many daysagainst it. 

CHAPTER SEVEN. 

OUR DISAPPOINTMENT, DANGER, AND ANXIETY. 

The tributary of the Amazon, down which we were proceeding, was in manyplaces more than half a mile wide: what must be the width of the mightyriver itself! This comparatively small stream was often tossed intowaves, and we were thankful that we had the prospect of embarking in alarger vessel, with more experienced boatmen, for our further voyage. On either side of the river were clay banks, above which the lofty treesformed impenetrable walls; while here and there islands appeared, thesoil of some raised but little above the river, while in others we couldsee evidences of the stream having separated them at no great distanceof time from the mainland. We continued our custom of landing atnight--indeed, whenever we had to put to shore--at one of these islands. They all supplied us with wood to light our fires, and poles for ourhuts: some were large enough to furnish game. 

Thus several days passed away. We were, by our calculations, approaching the spot at which our father had led us to expect that weshould find him. It may be supposed how eagerly we all looked out forthe expected marks. At length the curiously-coloured bluff hill he hadmentioned appeared in sight. 

"There it is! there it is!" exclaimed Ellen. "I am sure it must be thespot papa speaks of. "

We surveyed it with eager eyes, and agreed that there could be nomistake about the matter. With redoubled energy we paddled on, thebreeze, though light, being in our favour. And now in a short time wecame in sight of the expected group of bamboos. We quickly rounded it;and there, before us, appeared the hill. We looked out for the huts onits summit, but none were visible. 

"Oh! perhaps papa thought it better to build them lower down, under theshade of that group of palms, " said Ellen; and we agreed that she wasprobably right. 

A small stream ran at the bottom of the hill, connected, probably, withone of the larger rivers we had passed. We paddled up it a shortdistance, hoping to find a convenient place for landing. Our heartsmisgave us on finding no one come down to welcome us on shore. 

"They probably do not observe us coming, " observed Ellen. "Mamma andFanny are in the house, and papa and the servants are out shooting. "

I saw by the cheerful way she spoke she felt none of the apprehensionswhich John and I were experiencing. We soon found a clear spot, wherethe waters in the rainy season had carried away the trees and shrubs. Securing our canoe, we eagerly stepped on shore. The bank was somewhatsteep; but we managed to climb up it, and, cutting our way through theintervening jungle, reached the foot of the hill. Even now I began todoubt whether, after all, this could be the spot our father spoke of. Not the slightest sound was heard, and there was no appearance of humanhabitations being near. True, as soon as we had got into the more openground, went scampering along in high glee at finding himself on shore. John led the way, anxiously looking about on very side. We soon reachedthe top of the hill, gazing eagerly down towards the group of palm-treesEllen had espied. No huts were to be seen. 

"They cannot have been here!" exclaimed Ellen. 

Just then John gave a start, and immediately hurried forward. We allfollowed. Before us we saw several posts standing upright, but theywere blackened and charred, while several others lay scattered about. The grass around was burned, and the ground covered with ashes. It wastoo evident that a hut had stood there, which had been destroyed byfire; but whether it had been inhabited by our family or not, we in vainendeavoured to discover. No traces of them could we find. We looked ateach other with anxious eyes. Ellen burst into tears, fully believingthat something dreadful had happened. We wished to reassure her, butour own fears made this a hard matter. John stood silent for some time. Then again he walked over the spot, and examined narrowly the ground, looking among the neighbouring trees. 

"Perhaps this was not their house, " suggested Arthur; "or if it was, they may have escaped. Surely we should not give way to despair. "

"I think the master is too cautious a man to have been taken bysurprise, " observed Domingos. "He is probably not far off, and we shallsee him soon. "

Maria did her best to comfort her young mistress. 

"Do not cry, Dona Ellen; do not cry. We shall soon see them all, " shesaid, putting her arms round her as she used to do when she was a child, and trying to comfort her. 

Wishing to ascertain John's opinion, I went towards him. 

"We must proceed further on, " he said. "I am surprised that our fatherhas not left any sign by which we might learn where he has gone. "

"Perhaps he had to retreat in too great a hurry for that, yet he mighthave escaped in safety, " observed Arthur. 

"Do you think they were attacked by natives, and driven away?" I askedof John. 

"About that I am doubtful, " he answered, in a low voice, so that Ellenshould not hear. "Yet had the hut simply been burned by accident, theywould have rebuilt it. Our friend Naro gave the Indians of this part ofthe river a bad name. He called them _Majeronas_; and said that theyare cannibals, and attack all strangers. I did not believe the accounthe gave of them; and had I done so, I would not have mentioned it, forfear of unnecessarily alarming Ellen. Still, Harry, I confess I amvery, very anxious. "

"So indeed am I, now you tell me about the _Majeronas_, " I observed;"but still we must hope for the best. I cannot believe that anything sodreadful has happened as our fears suggest. Our poor mother, and sweetFanny and Aunt Martha, to have been carried off and killed! Oh, Icannot think it true!"

"Don't you think it possible they got notice that they were about to beattacked, and made their escape in good time?" observed Arthur, in amore cheerful voice. "The natives, when they found that their prey hadescaped them, would very naturally burn the house; and if they found anysignals which Mr Faithful might have left, would have destroyed themalso. I will ask Domingos; I think he will agree with me. "

When we told Domingos what Arthur had said, he declared that he thoughtthat was the most likely thing to have occurred. The suggestion raisedour spirits. Domingos, however, advised as not to remain on the spot, lest the natives might discover us. Having made another search round, we accordingly took our way back to the canoe. 

Shoving off, we went down the stream into the main river. As we paddledslowly along the shore, we examined it carefully, still in hopes offinding some signals which might direct us. We had gone on for someshort distance, when Arthur, looking up at the hill, exclaimed, "See!who can those be?"

There we saw several figures with bows in their hands and high featheryplumes on their heads. 

"They must be the _Majeronas_, " exclaimed John. "We have indeed onlyjust retreated in time. "

"Oh, perhaps they will follow us!" cried Ellen. 

"I do not think we need fear that, " said Arthur, "as we have seen nocanoes. "

The Indians appeared only just to have discovered us. We saw themgesticulating to each other; and then they hurried down towards theriver. We at once turned the canoe's head away from the bank, andpaddled out into the centre of the stream, where we should be beyond thereach of their arrows. 

By working away with our paddles we soon ran out of sight of them. 

Having rested for some minutes to recover from our exertions, wecontinued on down the stream. As the day was drawing on, it wasnecessary to look out for an island on which to encamp, as we hadreceived so strong a warning not to land on the main shore. We kept abright look-out, but no signs of an island could we see. The wind, which had hitherto been light, now increased to a gentle breeze; and asit was in our favour, we hoisted our sail and stood on, glad to berelieved from the labour of paddling. Thus we continued our progress, hoping to get before night to a distance from our savage enemies. 

The night came on, but there was still sufficient light to enable us tosteer down the centre of the river. John proposed that we should formtwo watches; he and Arthur in one, Domingos and I in the other. This, of course, was agreed to. After some difficulty, we persuaded Ellen andMaria to lie down on the hammocks which were spread in the middle of thecanoe under the awning. John and Arthur took the first watch; Domingoscoiling himself away in the stern of the canoe, and I in the bows; to beready for service should we be required. 

Tired as I was, it was some time before I could manage to go to sleep. I lay looking up at the dark sky--out of which thousands of bright starsshone forth--and listening to the ripple of the water against the bowsof the canoe. At length the sound lulled me to sleep, though I feltconscious that Arthur had covered me up with a piece of matting. Itseemed but a moment afterwards that I heard his voice calling me to getup and take his place. I raised myself, and saw Domingos at the helm, and the sails still set. Arthur then lay down in the place I hadoccupied; and I did him the same service he had rendered me, by coveringhim carefully up so as to protect him from the night air. 

It was the first time we had voyaged at night; and as we glided calmlyon, I could not help regretting that we had not oftener sailed at thesame hour, and thus escaped the heat of the day, the mosquitoes onshore, and enjoyed the cool breeze on the river. As I did not feel atall sleepy, I proposed to Domingos that we should allow John and Arthurto rest on, and continue ourselves on watch till daylight, when perhapswe might find some spot on which to land with safety. 

We thus glided on for some hours, and were expecting to see the dawnbreak over the trees on our larboard bow, when the channel became evennarrower than before. Had it not been that the current still ran withus, I should have supposed that we had entered some other stream; butthe way the water ran showed that this could not be the case. Wetherefore continued on as before. A bright glow now appeared in theeastern sky. Rapidly it increased till the whole arch of heaven wassuffused with a ruddy light. Suddenly John awoke, and uttered anexclamation of surprise on finding that it was daylight. His voicearoused the rest of the party. Just then the sun, like a mighty arch offire, appeared above the trees; and directly afterwards we saw, runningacross the stream down which we were sailing, another and far broaderriver. The mighty Maranon, as the natives call the Upper Amazon--or theSolimoens, as it is named by the Portuguese--was before us, havingflowed down for many hundred miles from the mountain lake of Lauricocha, in Peru, 12, 500 feet above the sea-level. 

As we gazed up and down the vast river, no object intervened till skyand water met, as on the ocean; while, on either side, the tall forestwalls diminished in the perspective till they sank into thin lines. Even here, however, it is narrow, though already very deep, compared tothe width it attains lower down. Our satisfaction at having escapedfrom the savages and arrived at the high road, along which we were toproceed, was counterbalanced by our anxiety for our family. We might, after all, have passed the spot where they were waiting for us; and yetit was not likely they would remain in the neighbourhood of such savagesas the Majeronas had shown themselves. We agreed, therefore, at allrisks, at once to row in towards the shore, and examine it carefully aswe proceeded downwards. 

We had not gone far, when we came in sight of a sand-bank, which offereda favourable spot for landing. We accordingly rowed in, lookingcarefully about for any signs of natives. As no huts or any humanbeings were to be seen, we landed. 

While Domingos and Arthur were collecting wood for a fire, John and I, followed by True, with our guns, made our way through the forest, thatwe might survey the country, so as not to be taken by surprise. We hadnot gone far when I caught sight of three animals, which I should havetaken for young hogs, from their brown colour, long coarse hair, andtheir general appearance, had they not been sitting up on theirhaunches, as no hog ever sat. They had large heads, and heavy bluntmuzzles, and thick clumsy bodies without tails. They cast inquisitivelooks at me, and would have sat on apparently till I had got close up tothem, had not True dashed forward, when, uttering low sounds, between agrunt and a bark, they rushed towards the water. I fired at one ofthem, and knocked it over. The rest reached the river, though pursuedby True, and instantly dived beneath the surface. John came up, and onexamining the animal's mouth, we found it to be a rodent, and thus knewit to be a capybara, the largest of its order. When alarmed, it rushesto the water, swims as well as the otter, and takes its prey in asimilar manner. It is, from its aquatic habits, often called thewater-hog. It had short legs, and peculiarly long feet, partiallywebbed, which enable it to swim so well. 

Directly afterwards, True turned a smaller animal out of a hollow trunk. It made off through the forest at great speed; but John shot it just asit was running behind a tree. It proved to be an agouti, also a rodent. It is in some respects like a hare or rabbit, with the coarse coat of ahog, but feeds itself like a squirrel. It is classed with theguinea-pig. It feeds on vegetables, and is very destructive tosugar-canes, which it rapidly gnaws through, and does not object toanimal food. 

While I carried our prizes down in triumph to Domingos, that he mightprepare a portion of them for breakfast, John continued his searchthrough the woods. I was on the point of joining him, when I heard himcry, "Look out!" and at the same instant another animal burst throughthe wood with True at his heels. I fired, and killed it. This also wasa rodent; and John said that it was a paca, which lives always in theneighbourhood of water, to which it takes readily when chased. It hasits habitation in burrows, which it forms a short distance only beneaththe surface. The opening it conceals with dried leaves and smallbranches. Once in the water, it swims and dives so well that itgenerally escapes from the hunter. It was of a thick and somewhatclumsy form, about two feet in length and one in height. The hinderlimbs were longer than the front ones, and considerably bent. The clawswere thick and strong, fitted for digging. It had rigid whiskers, andthe ears were nearly naked. 

Presently I heard John cry out. 

"Harry, I believe that I have been bitten by a snake on which I trod, "he said, in his usual calm way. "I killed the creature, and I think itis poisonous; so go and call Domingos, for he will perhaps know what todo. But get him away if you can, so as not to frighten Ellen. "

I ran off as fast as my legs could carry me, and was thankful to findthat Ellen and Maria were sitting under the awning in the canoe, whileDomingos was cooking at the fire, assisted by Arthur. In a breathlessvoice, my heart sinking with alarm, I told him what had happened. 

"There is a bottle of agua ardente, and there is another thing we willtry, " he said, and rushed to the canoe. 

I was afraid that he would tell Ellen; but he stepped on board with anunconcerned manner, as if he wanted something for a culinary purpose, and returned with two of the paddles, and a bottle and cup. 

We found John seated on the bank, taking off his boot and sock. 

"Here, Senor John, drink this, " he said, giving him the cup full ofliquid. "Senor Arthur will hold the bottle for you, while Senor Harryand I are making a grave for your leg. We must bury it. Don't despair, my dear master. The remedy is a wonderful one. "

We were digging away, while he spoke, with the paddles, and in a fewmoments John's leg was buried deep in the earth, which was pressed downover it. 

"Why, this is brandy, " exclaimed John, as he swallowed the contents of asecond cup which Arthur gave him. 

"Of course, my dear master, " answered Domingos, who, folding his arms, stood by, watching the effect of his treatment. "Some people think oneremedy the best, some another. It is wise to try both. The brandydrives, the earth draws the poison forth. "

Oh, how anxiously we watched John's countenance! No change took place. 

Arthur and I went back, lest Ellen might be alarmed at our absence, leaving Domingos, who stood unmoved, in the same attitude as at first, watching his patient. At last Ellen put her head out from under thetoldo, and asked when breakfast would be ready, as she and Maria werevery hungry. 

"What shall we tell her?" asked Arthur. 

Just then I looked up, and saw Domingos coming towards us, waving thedead snake in his hand, and John following, walking as briskly as ifnothing had been the matter with him. 

"A wonderful cure has been wrought, " he exclaimed, as he reached us. "But don't tell Domingos yet. Finding myself much as usual, I bethoughtme, as I sat with my leg in the hole, of looking into the reptile'smouth; and though it has a set of sharp teeth, I could discover nopoisonous fangs. I am only sorry that so much good brandy was expendedon me, which may be wanted on another occasion. "

We now summoned Ellen, and told her in English what had occurred. Arthur and I having examined the head of the snake, to assure ourselvesthat John was right, cut it off and threw it into the river, while Truebreakfasted off the body, which we cooked for him. Domingos did notdiscover the truth till some time afterwards; and we heard himfrequently boasting of the certain cure he knew for snake bites. Icannot, however, say that his remedy would not prove efficacious. 

Having made a good breakfast on the agouti, we once more embarked, andglided down the stream. 

I have not dwelt much on our anxiety, but, as may be supposed, we feltit greatly, and our conversation could not fail to be subdued and sad. Ellen, however, after her first grief had subdued, did her utmost, dear, good little sister that she was, to cheer our spirits. Often she keptrepeating, "I am sure they have escaped! We shall before long findthem. Depend on it, papa would not allow himself to be surprised! Ihave been praying for them ever since we commenced our journey, and Iknow my prayers will be heard. "

Although I had felt great despondency, I could not help being influencedby Ellen's hopeful spirit. Still it seemed to me that the probabilityof our discovering them along the wide-extended banks of the river wasbut small indeed. They, too, how anxious they must be feeling on ouraccount; for if they had been in danger, as we supposed, they must knowwe should be subjected to the same. However, I will not dwell longer onthis subject, but only again repeat that our parents and our aunt andFanny were never absent from our thoughts. A light breeze springing up, we hoisted our mat sail, and glided down the river. Nothing could bemore delightful. The light air cooled us, and kept off the mosquitoes;and as the nights were bright, had we not been anxious to examine theshore, we agreed that we might have continued our voyage till it wasnecessary to land and procure food. 

Suddenly, however, the wind again dropped. The sun, which had hithertobeen casting his undimmed rays down on our heads, became obscured, as ifa thick curtain had been drawn across it. The whole sky assumed ayellow tinge. Domingos looked anxiously round. 

"I do not like the look of the weather, " he observed. "It would be wiseto lower the sail. "

We had just got it down, when a low murmur was heard in the distantwoods, increasing rapidly to a subdued roar. A white line appearedacross the river. It came rapidly towards us. Now we could feel thewind blowing against our cheeks, and the whole surface of the waterbecame suddenly rippled into wavelets, from which the white foam flewoff in thick sheets. The sky had again changed to a greenish hue. Thewaves every moment increased in height. 

"A hurricane is coming on, " observed Domingos. "We cannot face it. "

We put the canoe's head towards the shore. 

"Paddle, my masters! paddle!" exclaimed Domingos. "We must reach theshore before the storm breaks with its full violence, or we may belost!"

We had not paddled many strokes before we felt the canoe driven forwardby the wind at a rapid rate. We exerted ourselves, running before thewind, and edging in at the same time towards the northern shore. Everyinstant the hurricane gained strength; and as we looked upward, thewhole sky, we saw, had assumed a red and black appearance. A littleahead appeared a sand-bank, on which stood a number of tall-leggedbirds, cormorants, white cranes, and other waders, large and small. Wemight land on the island, and save our lives; but the wind settingdirectly on it, we might lose our canoe, or, at all events, the waterwould break into her and destroy our goods. Domingos steered the canoeadmirably, while we made every effort to keep off the island. Presentlydown came the blast with greater fury than before. Some of the smallerbirds were carried off their legs and borne away by the wind. Others, throwing themselves down, stuck their beaks into the sand, and clung onwith their long claws, their feet extended. In spite of our danger, Arthur and I could not help laughing at the extraordinary appearance ofthe birds, as they thus lay in great numbers along the sand, looking asif they had been shot, and were lying dead till the sportsman could pickthem up. On we drove, narrowly escaping being thrown upon the bank, onwhich the foaming seas broke with terrific force. 

"Here it comes again!" cried Domingos. "Paddle bravely, and be notalarmed. "

As he spoke, another blast, still more violent, struck us, and in aninstant the covering of our canoe was torn away and lifted up. In vainwe attempted to catch it. It was borne off by the wind towards theshore. So high were the waves which thus suddenly rose up, that weexpected every moment to be overwhelmed; while we feared that unless wecould manage to anchor we should be driven on the bank to leeward, wherethe canoe would be filled with water, and everything in her carriedaway. To resist the fury of the waves was impossible. In vain westrove to get under the lee of the island. Destruction yawned beforeus, when we saw, amid the thick forest trees which lined the bank, anarrow opening. It was the entrance, we hoped, to an igarape, --one ofthose curious water-ways, or canoe paths, which form a network of canalsmany hundred miles in extent, on either bank of the Amazon. We exertedourselves to the utmost to reach it, although the seas which struck theside of the canoe threatened every moment to upset her before we coulddo so. Ellen and Maria had got out their paddles, and laboured awaywith all their strength, Maria's stout arms indeed being a veryefficient help. Domingos kept working away with his paddle, now on oneside, now on another, now steering astern as he saw was requisite, twisting his features into a hundred different forms, and showing hiswhite teeth as he shouted out in his eagerness. The tall trees werebending before the blast as if they were about to be torn from theirroots and carried bodily inland. My fear was, on seeing them thusagitated, that should we get beneath them they might fall and crush us. Still we had no choice. It seemed doubtful whether we should reach themouth of the igarape. 

We redoubled our efforts, and just grazing by a point which projectedfrom the shore, on which, had we been thrown, we should have been upset, we darted into the canal. Even there the water hissed and roared as itwas forced into the narrow channel. As an arrow flies through thezarabatana, so we sped up the igarape. For a few seconds Domingos hadto exert himself to steer the canoe in mid-channel, to prevent her beingdashed against the roots of the tall trees which projected into it. Atfirst the roar of the wind among the trunks and branches was almostdeafening. Gradually it decreased, and in a short time we could hearonly the distant murmur of the tempest on the outside of the woodyboundary. We were not, however, to escape altogether from it, for downcame the rain in a pelting shower, to which, from the loss of ourawning, we were completely exposed. We quickly, however, rigged anotherwith our sail, which afforded shelter to Ellen and Maria. Havingsecured the canoe, we all crept under it, and consulted what we shouldnext do. What with the mantle of clouds across the sky, and the thickarch of boughs over our heads, so great was the darkness that we couldscarcely persuade ourselves that night was not coming on. We satpatiently, hoping that the rain, which pattered down with so loud anoise that it was necessary to raise our voices to make each other hear, would at length cease. In about half an hour, the shower-bath to whichwe had been exposed came to an end. But still drops fell thickly fromthe boughs, and the darkness proved to us that the clouds had not yetcleared away. 

After our unsatisfactory meeting with the natives, we were anxious notto remain longer on that part of the shore than necessary. Accordinglywe once more paddled down the igarape. We soon found, however, that thewind was blowing too hard to allow us to venture out on the main stream. 

On passing downwards we observed a somewhat open space on the northside, and despairing of continuing our voyage that night, we determinedto encamp there. Securing our canoe, in which Ellen and Maria sat undershelter, the rest of us, with axes in our hands, set to work to clearthe ground and build a couple of huts. We had become such proficientsin the art that this we soon accomplished. On account of the weather webuilt one of them, not only with a roof, but with back and sides, inwhich Ellen and her attendant could be sheltered. To our own also webuilt a side on the quarter from which the wind came. Our difficultywas to light a fire. But hunting about, we found some dried leaves inthe hollow of a tree, and there was no lack of wood, which, afterchopping off the wet outside, would burn readily. 

Having made all preparations, we conducted Ellen and Maria to their hut, and carried up our goods, which we placed within it, under shelter. Wefelt somewhat anxious at our position; but we hoped that the rain wouldkeep any natives who might be in the neighbourhood from wandering about, and by the following morning we should be able to proceed on our voyage. Should we not meet with our father on our way down, we resolved to stopat the nearest Brazilian town on the banks, and there obtain assistancein instituting a more rigid search than we could make by ourselves. Ofone thing we were certain, that had he escaped, and got thus far, hewould stay there till our arrival. Still we did not abandon all hopesof finding him before that. 

We had taken everything out of the canoe, with the exception of thepaddles, even to the sail, which served as a carpet for Ellen's hut. Wenext turned our attention to cooking further portions of the animals wehad killed in the morning. In spite of the storm raging outside, andour anxiety, as we sat round the blazing fire, Ellen and Maria havingjoined us, the smoke keeping the mosquitoes somewhat at bay, we all feltmore cheerful than might have been expected. Midnight had now come on;and having cut up a further supply of wood to keep the fire burning, weslung our hammocks and turned into them, trusting to True to keep watchfor us. 

CHAPTER EIGHT. 

ADVENTURES IN THE FOREST--WE MEET WITH NATIVES. 

The hours of the night passed slowly by. I awoke several times. Few ofthe usual noises of the forest were heard. The tempest seemed to havesilenced its wild inhabitants. Now and then the cry of a howling baboonreached our ears from the depths of the forest. I had a feeling thatsomething dreadful was about to occur, yet I was sufficiently awake toknow that this might be mere fancy, and I did my best to go to sleep. The fire was still burning brightly. I looked down from my hammock. There was True sleeping tranquilly below me, as my companions were, around. When I looked away from the fire into the forest, I was struckby the unusual darkness. Not a ray of light appeared to come from thesky, which was still covered with a thick mantle of clouds. I succeededat last in dropping off to sleep. How long my eyes had been closed Icould not tell, when I heard True uttering a low bark. I could just seehim running to the edge of the hut, and looking out towards the river. I sprang from my hammock, calling to my companions. They were on footin a moment; but the darkness, was so great that we could see nothingbeyond a few feet from where we stood. As we sprang up, True rushedforward. We heard him barking away in front of us. The fire was out, and with difficulty we found our way back. I called to True, and atlast he returned, but we were still unable to discover any cause foralarm. After a time we agreed that the wisest thing we could do wouldbe to turn into our hammocks again. I scolded True for alarming us soneedlessly, and he came back and lay down in his usual place. The nightpassed away without any other disturbance. 

When we arose in the morning the wind had ceased, the clouds had clearedaway, and the weather was as fine as usual. Getting up, we preparedbreakfast, and agreed to continue our voyage as soon as it was over. Aswe had sufficient provisions, there was no necessity to search for any. We therefore remained at our camp till our meal was over. John was thefirst to take up a load and proceed with it down to the canoe. Ifollowed. When still at a little distance, I heard him utter anexclamation of dismay. He turned back, and I saw by his countenancethat there was something wrong. Now he looked up the igarape, now down. 

"Harry, " he exclaimed, "I cannot see the canoe!"

"You must have mistaken the spot where I left it, " I answered. "Isecured it well. "

I returned with him to the bank. In vain we searched up and down thebanks of the water-path. Not a trace of the canoe did we discover. 

"She must have broken adrift, then, during the night, " I observed. "Perhaps she has driven up the igarape. "

"I will go one way and you the other, then, " said John. 

I made my way as well as I could through the tangled wood from theriver, while John went towards it. Wherever I could, I got down to theedge of the water. Now I climbed along a trunk which overhang it; butthough I thus got a view for a considerable distance, I could see nocanoe. At length I returned, hoping that John might have been moresuccessful. I met him on the spot where we had parted. 

"I cannot see her, " he said. "Harry, I am afraid she has been carriedoff!"

The same idea had occurred to me. We now carefully examined the spotwhere we had left her. I found the very trunk of the tree round which Ihad secured the painter. It was scarcely rubbed, which it would havebeen, we agreed, had the canoe been torn away by the force of the wind. We were soon joined by Arthur and Domingos, who had come along withloads, surprised at our not returning. We communicated to them thealarming intelligence. Domingos was afraid that we were right in ourconjectures. We returned to the camp to break the unsatisfactory newsto Ellen. 

"If our canoe is lost, we must build another, " she remarked, in herusual quiet way, concealing her anxiety; "but it is very trying to bethus delayed. "

Still it would not do to give up without a further search for the canoe. As the wind had set up the igarape, I knew that, should the canoe havebroken away by herself, she must have driven before it. It wastherefore settled that Arthur and I should go up still further in thatdirection, while John would try and make his way down to the main river, searching along the bank. Ellen and Maria, with Domingos and True totake care of them, were to remain at the camp. Arthur and I had ouraxes, for without them we could make no progress. I had my gun; Arthura spear, with bow and arrows, which Naro had presented to him. Thusarmed, we hoped to defend ourselves against any jaguar or boa we mightmeet. We had little to fear from any other wild animals. As we hadseen no traces of natives, we did not expect to meet with any. We soongained the point I had reached in the morning. After this, we had tohew a path for ourselves through the forest. Sometimes we got a fewfeet without impediment, and then had to cut away the sipos for severalyards. Now and then we were able to crawl under them, and sometimes wewere able to leap over the loops, or make our way along thewide-spreading roots of the tall trees. Thus we went on, every now andthen getting down to the edge of the igarape, and climbing out on thetrunk of one of the overhanging trees, whence we could obtain a view upand down for some distance. 

We had just reached the bank, and were looking out along it, when I sawa troop of monkeys coming along through the forest. I kept True by myside, and whispered to Arthur not to speak. I could scarcely helplaughing aloud at the odd manner in which they made their way among thebranches, now swinging down by their tails, now catching another branch, and hanging on by their arms. They were extraordinarily thin creatures, with long arms and legs, and still longer tails--our old friends thespider monkeys. Those tails of theirs were never quiet, but keptwhisking about in all directions. They caught hold of the branches withthem, and then hung by them with their heads downwards, an instantafterwards to spring up again. Presently they came close to the water, when one of them caught hold of a branch with his fore-hands and tail, another jumped down and curled his tail round the body of the first. Athird descended and slung himself in a similar manner. A fourth andfifth followed, and so on; and there they hung, a regular monkey chain. Immediately the lowest, who hung with his head downwards, gave a shovewith his fore-paws, and set the chain swinging, slowly at first butincreasing in rapidity, backwards and forwards over the water. Ithought to myself, if an alligator were making his way up the canal, thelowest would have a poor chance of his life. The swinging increased inviolence, till the lowest monkey got his paws round the slender trunk ofa tree on the opposite side. Immediately he drew his companion afterhim; till the next above him was within reach of it. That one caughtthe tree in the same way, and they then dragged up their end of thechain till it hung almost horizontally across the water. A livingbridge having thus been formed, the remainder of the troop, chieflyconsisting of young monkeys who had been amusing themselves meantimefrisking about in the branches, ran over. Two or three of themischievous youngsters took the opportunity of giving a sly pinch totheir elders, utterly unable just then to retaliate; though it wasevident, from the comical glances which the latter cast at them, thatthe inflictors of the pinches were not unnoticed. One, who had beentrying to catch some fish apparently during the interval, was nearly toolate to cross. The first two who had got across now climbed stillfurther up the trunk; and when they had got to some distance, themuch-enduring monkey, who had been holding the weight of all the others, let go his hold, and now becoming the lowest in the chain, swung towardsthe bank. As soon as he and his companions reached it, they caught holdof the trunk either with their hands or tails. The whole troop thus gotsafely across. 

The shouts of laughter, to which Arthur and I could no longer resistgiving way, startled the monkeys. They looked about with inquisitiveglances, wondering probably what sort of strange creatures we could bewho had come into their territory. At length, espying us, off they setat a great rate through the forest. 

They had chosen the narrowest part of the igarape to cross. Going onfurther, it widened considerably. We still continued making our wayalong its margin; but the ground at length became so swampy, that wewere obliged to turn off to the left. After this we came to somewhatmore open ground, which had been cleared either by fire or by the handof man. It was, of course, overgrown with vegetation of all sorts; butnot sufficiently so to prevent us making our way through it. Ourintention was to go round the swamp or lake, and again reach the borderof the water-path. We proceeded on for some distance, when we sawthrough an opening a high clay bank; it could scarcely be called a hill. But few trees grew on it. We thought that, by getting to the top, wecould obtain a view of the country around. We accordingly made our waytowards it. It formed apparently the eastern edge of the high countrythrough which the Napo runs. We found, here and there, veins of thatcuriously-coloured clay which we had before seen. Looking eastward, avast extent of forest was spread out before us, extending far as the eyecould reach. No opening was visible except the long line of theSolimoens, at some distance from where we stood. We could look westwardtowards its source in the Andes; and eastward as it flowed on towardsthe far distant Atlantic, hundreds of miles away. The whole igarape wasentirely shut out from view. We thought, however, that by continuingtowards the north we might possibly again get sight of it, when wepurposed to continue our search for the canoe. We had faint hopes offinding it, we could not but confess. 

We had gone on some way, when, passing round a clump of trees, we sawbefore us two natives seated on the top of a hill, looking out, itseemed, over the country beyond them. Their bodies were tattooed orpainted all over in curious devices, and their heads were decked withwar-plumes, while each of them had a musket resting on his arm, as ifready for immediate use. Our first impulse was to retreat, hoping thatwe had not been seen; but their quick eyes had caught sight of us. Theybeckoned to us to approach. 

"They must have had intercourse with white men, or they would not havethose muskets, " observed Arthur. "Perhaps they may prove to befriends. "

To escape them, I saw, would be impossible. I therefore agreed withArthur that the best way was to go forward at once in a frank manner andtry to win their confidence. We climbed the hill, therefore, and as weget up to where they were waiting for us, put out our hands and shooktheirs. They were accustomed, apparently, to the European style ofgreeting. They addressed us, and seemed to be inquiring whence we hadcome. We explained as well as we could by signs--pointing in thedirection of the Andes, and then showing how we had glided down in thecanoe. While they were speaking, I thought I detected a few words whichsounded like Spanish; and listening more attentively, I found that theeldest of the two was speaking the _lingua geral_--a corrupt Portuguese, mixed with Indian words, generally used throughout the whole length ofthe Amazon. It was so like the language Naro and his Indians hademployed when speaking to us, that I could make out, with a littledifficulty, what was said. I understood the elder Indian to say that hewas a friend of the whites; and that, as Arthur had supposed, he hadobtained the muskets from them. Finding the natives so friendly, Iinvited them to our camp. They shook their heads, and pointed to thenorth-west, letting us understand that they were about to start away onan expedition against an enemy in that direction; but that, on theirreturn, they would without fail come to visit us. They signified thatif we would accompany them to their village, we should be hospitablyreceived. When speaking of the enemy, they uttered the word "Majeronas"two or three times. 

"Those must be the people you think attacked your father, " observedArthur. "If he and your family are prisoners, they may be the means ofreleasing them. "

"I am afraid the Majeronas are too fierce and savage to make prisoners, "I answered. "We might accompany these Indians and avenge their death, if they have been killed. "

"That is not according to the Christian law, " observed Arthur mildly. "I would run any risk, though, to obtain their release, should they havebeen made prisoners. "

"I feel sure that they have not, " I answered. "Had they not escaped intheir canoe we should certainly have found some remains of her on theshore, or some traces of them. Oh no; I feel sure they got off, and weshall overtake them before long. "

As I ceased speaking, a band of Indians appeared coming through thewoods. They were--like the first two, who were evidently chiefs--deckedin feathers and paint, but otherwise unencumbered by clothing. Theywere armed with bows and spears, but not a musket did we see among them. They were certainly the lightest of light troops. The two chiefsseemed to look upon their weapons as of immense value, as a general doeshis heavy guns. I saw the chief eyeing my rifle; and he then addressedus, inviting us to accompany the expedition. In spite of what I hadjust said, I felt greatly inclined to go, Arthur, however, urged mestrongly not to do so. 

"Think of your sister and brother. How anxious our absence would makethem!" he observed. "You do not know what dangers they may be exposedto; and suppose we were surprised and killed by the enemy, what wouldbecome of them?"

I agreed that he was right, and explained to the chief that we could notleave our friends. He then asked me to make over my gun to him; but, ofcourse, I could not deprive myself of our chief means of defence, andtherefore turned a deaf ear to his request. The troops had halted atthe foot of the hill; and we accompanied the two chiefs, who went downto meet them. The natives looked at us without much surprise, as ifwhite men were no strangers to them. Arthur now advised that we shouldreturn, as it would be a serious matter should we be benighted in theforest. Before parting from our friends, we endeavoured to ascertainwhether they had seen our canoe, but we could obtain no information fromthem. Still I could not help thinking that she had been carried off bysome of their tribe, who might have found her on their way up theigarape. When, therefore, the chief again pressed us to pay a visit tohis village, we accepted his invitation. 

Several lads had accompanied the army. As they only carried blow-pipesin their hands, I suspected--as proved to be the case--that they werenot to proceed further. The chief called one of them up to him; andfrom the way he spoke, I had little doubt that he was his son. Thechief made signs to us that the lad, whom he called Duppo, would go backwith us to the village, and that we should there obtain any food wemight require. Duppo appeared to be about fourteen years of age, andmore intelligent and better looking than most of the Indians; indeed, the two chiefs we had first seen were superior to the rest inappearance, and Duppo was very like them. We came to the conclusionthat they were brothers; and that Duppo, as I have said, was the son ofthe eldest. This we found afterwards to be the case. 

The chief, having wished us farewell, gave the signal to advance; andleading the way, the Indians set off in single file along the bottom ofthe hill. We, having watched them for some time, accompanied Duppo, followed by the three other lads who had come with him. We asked himhis father's name, and understood him to say it was Maono, that hismother's name was Mora, and that his uncle was called Paco. Had wejudged by Duppo's manner, we should not have supposed that his friendshad gone on a dangerous expedition; but yet, knowing the character ofthe Majeronas, we could not help feeling some anxiety for the result. We found that Duppo was leading us towards the further end of theigarape, in the direction we had ourselves before proposed going. Wehad, however, delayed so long, that I feared we should not have time toreturn. Arthur suggested that we might possibly find a canoe, in whichwe could go back by water, or, if not, we might build a balsa, such aswe had seen used on the Guayas. 

"An excellent idea, " I replied. "We will put it into execution shouldwe not find a canoe. "

Our young guide led the way with unerring instinct through the forest. We had gone some distance, when we heard a deep, loud, andlong-sustained flute-like note. It was that of a bird. The youngIndian stopped, and pointing ahead, uttered the word _nira-mimbeu_, which I afterwards ascertained meant fife-bird, evidently from thepeculiar note we had just heard. The whole party stopped in theattitude of listening, and looking among the branches, we got a goodview of a bird a short distance beyond us, with glossy black plumage, perched on a bough. The bird itself was about the size of a commoncrow. It had a remarkable ornament on its head, consisting of a crestformed of long, curved, hairy feathers at the end of bare quills whichwere now raised and spread out in the shape of a fringed sunshade. Round its neck was a tippet formed of glossy steel-blue feathers; and aswe watched it, while it was singing it spread these out, and waved themin a curious manner, extending at the same time its umbrella-formedcrest, while it bowed its head slightly forward and then raised itagain. I knew at once the curious creature to be the rare umbrella-bird(_Cephalopterus ornatus_). The bird was continuing its flute-likeperformance, when Duppo, advancing slowly and lifting his blow-pipe, sent forth with unerring aim a tiny dart, which pierced the bird's neck. Much to my sorrow, the note ceased; but yet the bird stood on its perchas if scarcely aware of the wound it had received. We all stoodwatching it. For nearly a minute it remained as before, till graduallyits head began to drop, and finally it fell to the ground. Duppo ranforward, and taking a pinch of white substance from a wallet which hecarried at his side, placed it in the bird's mouth, and then carefullypulling out the arrow, put some into the wound, just as our Napo Indianshad done when they shot our monkey, Nimble. We then went on, hecarrying the apparently lifeless bird carefully in his arms. In a fewminutes it began slowly to lift its head, and then to look about it as ahen does when carried in the same way. In a short time the bird seemedto be as well as if it had not received a wound, and began to peck atthe bare arms of our young guide. On this he took from his bag somesmall pieces of fibre. On piece he wound round its bill, and anotherround its legs, taking great care not to hurt or injure it in any way. 

We went on for some distance, our young guide keeping his sharp eyesroving round in every direction in search of some other bird or animalon which he might exercise his skill. We were naturally surprised atthe wonderful way in which the bird he had shot had recovered. I couldscarcely believe that the arrow had been tipped with poison, and yet Icould not otherwise account for the manner in which the bird fell to theground. I inquired of Duppo, but could not understand his reply. Atlast he took out of his bag some of the white stuff we had seen himapply and put it on his tongue. "Why, " exclaimed Arthur, to whom he hadgiven some to taste, "it is salt!"

Salt it undoubtedly was; and we now first learned that salt is anantidote to the wourali poison. People, indeed, who eat salt with theirfood are but little affected by it; while it quickly kills savages andanimals who do not eat salt. 

We had seen as yet no signs of habitations, when Duppo stopped andpointed through an opening in the trees. We saw, in the shade of thewide-spreading boughs, a woman kneeling before a bath, in which a littlechild was seated, splashing the water about with evident delight. Thewoman was almost as primitive a costume as the warriors we had seen. Her only ornament was a necklace, and her sole clothing consisted of asomewhat scanty petticoat. She, however, seemed in no way abashed atour presence. Duppo ran forward and said a few words to her, when, rising from her knees, and lifting up her dripping child in her arms, she advanced a few paces towards us. She seemed to be listening withgreat interest to what Duppo was saying, and she then signed to us tofollow her. We did so, and soon came in sight of several bamboo huts. The walls, as also the roofs, were covered with a thatch of palm-leaves. On examining the thatch, I saw that it consisted of a number of leavesplaited together, and secured in a row to a long lath of bamboo. One ofthese laths, with a row of thatch attached to it, was hung up on pegs tothe lowest part of the wall intended to be covered; another was fastenedover it, the thatch covering the first lath; and so on, row after row, till the upper part was reached. The roof was formed in the samemanner, secured by rope formed of aloe fibres or some similar material. Round the village were numerous fruit-trees. The most conspicuous werebananas, with their long, broad, soft, green leaf-blades; and severalpupunhas, or peach-palms, with their delicious fruit, hanging down inenormous bunches from their lofty crowns, each a load for a strong man. The fruit gains its name from its colour. It is dry and mealy, of thetaste of chestnuts and cheese. There were also a number of cotton andcoffee trees on one side, extending down to the water, which showed thatour friends were not ignorant of agriculture. We also saw melonsgrowing in abundance, as well as mandioca and Indian corn. 

The lady conducted us into her house with as much dignity as a duchesswould have done into her palace. The interior of the building, however, had no great pretensions to architectural grandeur. The roof wassupported by strong upright posts between which hammocks were slung, leaving space for a passage from one end to the other, as also for firesin the centre. At the further end was an elevated stage, which might belooked upon as a first floor, formed of split palm-stems. Along thewalls were arranged clay jars of various sizes, very neatly made. Some, indeed, were large enough to hold twenty or more gallons; others weremuch smaller; and some were evidently used as cooking-pots. They wereornamented on the outside with crossed diagonal lines of variouscolours. There were also blow-pipes hung up, and quivers and bags madeof the bromelia, very elaborately worked. In addition, there werebaskets formed of the same material of a coarser description, anddressed skins of animals, with mats, and spare hammocks. 

Our hostess, whom we discovered to be Duppo's mother, invited us to sitdown on some mats which she spread in a clear space on the floor, alittle removed from the fire. Duppo went out, and in a short timereturned with a young girl, who looked timidly into the opening, andthen ran off. He scampered after her, and brought her back; but itrequired some persuasion to induce her to enter the hut. We rose as shedid so, struck by her interesting countenance and elegant form; for, although her garments were almost as scanty as those of the older woman, our impulse was to treat her with the respect we should have paid to oneof her more civilised sisters. Having got over her timidity, she set towork to assist her mother in cooking some food. We asked Duppo hissister's name. He gave us to understand that it was Oria--at least, itsounded like it; and, at all events, that was the name by which wealways called her. It was a pretty name, and well suited to such aninteresting young creature. 

Several parrots of gorgeous plumage, which had been sitting on therafters, clambered down inquisitively to look at us; while two monkeys--tame little things--ran in and out of the hut. The most interestingcreature we saw was a charming little water-fowl--a species of grebe. It seemed to be a great pet of the young girl. It was swimming about ina tub full of water, similar to the one in which we had seen our hostessbathing her baby. The girl took it out to show it to us, and it layperfectly happy and contented in her hands. It was rather smaller thana pigeon, and had a pointed beak. The feet, unlike those ofwater-fowls, were furnished with several folds of skin in lieu of webs, and resembled much the feet of the gecko lizards. After exhibiting itto us, she put it back again into its tub, and it went swimming roundand round, very much like those magnetic ducks which are sold intoyshops. On examining the tub I have spoken of, we found that it wasformed from the spathe of the palm. 

In a short time a repast was placed before us in several bowls. In onewas fish, in another was a stew of meat. Arthur, without ceremony, atesome of the latter, when he came to a bone which I saw him examiningcuriously. 

"Why, I do believe, " he said, in a low voice, "it is a bit of monkey!"

"I have very little doubt about it, " I answered; for I had discoveredthis some time before. "Try this other dish; it seems very nice. "

Having eaten some of it, we bethought ourselves of inquiring of Duppowhat it was; and he gave us to understand that it was a piece of snakeor lizard, for we could not exactly make out which. 

"I think I would rather keep to the fish, " said Arthur, in a subduedvoice. Indeed, with the fish and some mandioca porridge alone, we couldhave managed to make a very ample meal. 

We had also several delicious fruits--guavas, bananas, and one, theinterior of which tasted like a rich custard. A jar of a somewhat thickand violet-coloured liquor was placed before us to drink. It was made, we found, from the fruit of the assai palm, which our hostess, Illora, showed us. It was perfectly round and about the size of a cherry, consisting of a small portion of pulp lying between the skin and thehard kernel. The fruit pounded, with the addition of water, producesthe beverage I have described. It was very refreshing, but stained ourlips as do blackberries. 

Having finished our meal, we thanked Dame Illora for it, and tried toexplain that we were in search of a canoe in which to return down theigarape. For some time we could not make her comprehend what we wanted. Suddenly Duppo started up, and leading us to the water, by signsexplained that all their canoes had been taken away. "Then, no doubt, the same people who took theirs, carried off ours, " observed Arthur. Iagreed with him. Still, I hoped that a small canoe might be found. Wesearched about, but I could not find one. The channel ran through theforest till it was lost to sight, and as there was a slight current inthe water, we came to the conclusion that it was connected with someother river, up which the canoes had been carried. 

"Then let us build a raft as we proposed, " said Arthur. "If we do notreturn to-night, we shall alarm your sister and John. The current is inour favour, and we shall have no difficulty in descending to our camp. "

At once we tried to explain to our friends what we proposed doing. Several other persons appeared, but they were mostly old men and women. The rest had evidently gone off to the war. We began by cutting downsome small trees which grew at the edge of the igarape. Then we cutsome sipos, and formed an oblong frame of sufficient size to supportthree or four people. After a little time Duppo comprehended ourpurpose, and we saw him explaining the matter to his people. Several ofthem on this set to work on a clump of bamboos which grew at a littledistance, and brought them to us. Looking about, we also discoveredsome long reeds growing on the margin of the swamp at no great distance. Arthur and I collected as many as we could carry, and the natives, following our example, soon supplied us with what we required. Havingfastened the bamboos lengthways on the frame, we secured the reeds bothunder and above them, till we had completely covered over the framework. The whole machine we strengthened by passing long sipos round it, andthus in a short time had a buoyant and sufficiently strong raft to carryus safely, we hoped, down the igarape. The natives had been watchingour proceedings with looks of surprise, as if they had never seen asimilar construction. We had cut a couple of long poles with which topush on the raft. "I think we should be the better for paddles, "observed Arthur. One of the trees, we found, very easily split intoboards. We soon made three paddles, agreeing that a third would beuseful, in case one should break. "But perhaps Duppo would be willingto accompany us, " said Arthur. "He seems a very intelligent fellow. Shall we ask him?"

We soon made our young friend comprehend our wishes. He was evidentlywell pleased with the proposal, though his mother at first seemed tohesitate about letting him go. We pressed her, explaining that we wouldreward him well for his services. Our point gained, Duppo'spreparations were quickly made. He brought with him his zarabatana orblow-pipe, his bow, and a quiver full of arrows, as also a basket offarinha, apparently supposing that we might be unable to provide himwith food. Seeing the curious umbrella-bird secured to a perchprojecting from the wall, I asked him to bring it, as I wanted to showit to Ellen. He quickly understood me, and taking it down, againfastened up its beak, and brought it along perched on his shoulder. Thewhole remaining population of the village came down to the water to seeus embark. We took off our hats to Oria, who scarcely seemed tounderstand the compliment. 

Our raft was soon launched with their aid, and, greatly to oursatisfaction, floated buoyantly. We got on board, and shoved off intothe middle of the channel. The water was fat too deep to allow ourpoles to be of any use. Duppo, however, showed that he well knew theuse of a paddle. Taking one in his hand, he sat down on one side of theraft, while Arthur sat on the other, and I stood astern to steer. Thecurrent was sluggish, and did not help us much. We therefore had toexert ourselves vigorously. The igarape soon widened out into a broadlake-like expanse. We could distinguish the channel, however, from itsbeing free of reeds, which appeared in all directions in the otherparts, forming thick broad clumps like islands. From amidst themnumerous water-fowl rose up as we passed. Now and then an alligatorpoked up his ugly snout. Numerous tortoises and other water-creatureswere seen swimming about. Others which rose near us, alarmed at ourappearance, made off to a distance, and allowed us to proceed unimpeded. 

We were delighted with the progress we made, and went paddling on as ifwe had been long accustomed to the work. We kept up most of the time aconversation with Duppo, although it must be owned that we couldunderstand but little of what he said, while he had equal difficulty incomprehending us. We asked him several questions about his family. Itold him that he must bring Oria down to see my sister, as I was sureshe would be glad to make her acquaintance. I was, however, not verycertain whether he understood me. He was evidently a quick, sagaciousfellow; though his manners, like most of the Indians we had met, weresubdued and quiet. 

As we were paddling on, we were almost startled by hearing a sound likea bell tolling in the midst of the forest. It ceased, and we paddledon, when again it struck our ears loud and clear. Again it came withinthe space of a minute, and we almost expected to see some church steeplepeeping forth through an opening in the primeval forest. We tried toascertain from our young companion what it could mean, but he onlynodded his head, as much as to say, "I know all about it, " and then hegave a glance down at his bow and quiver which lay by his side. We wenton for some minutes more, the sound of the bell reaching our ears asbefore, and then Duppo began to look up eagerly into the trees. Suddenly he ceased paddling, and made signs to Arthur to do the same. Gliding on a few yards further, we saw, on the topmost bough of a treeoverhanging the water, a beautiful white bird, about the size of a jay. At the same time there came forth from where it stood a clear bellsound, and we saw from its head a black tube, rising up several inchesabove it. Duppo cautiously put his hand out and seized his bow. In aninstant he had fitted an arrow to the string. Away it flew, and downfell the bird fluttering in the water. We paddled on, and quickly hadit on board. I could not help feeling sorry that he had killed thebeautiful creature, whose note had so astonished us. 

It was, I found, a specimen of that somewhat rare and very wonderfulbell-bird (_Casmarhynchos carunculata_), called _campanero_ by theSpaniards. From the upper part of the bill grows a fleshy tubercleabout the thickness of a quill, sparingly covered with minute feathers. It was now hanging down on one side, quite lax. It was evident, therefore, that the bird, when alive, elevated it when excited bysinging or some other cause; indeed afterwards, on examining it, wefound it connected with the interior of the throat, which furtherconvinced us of this fact. I was sorry that we could not have it takenalive to Ellen, and I tried to explain to Duppo that we wished to haveliving creatures if possible captured, like the umbrella-bird. 

We had been paddling on for some time beneath the thick overhangingboughs, almost in darkness, when a bright glow attracted our attention. "We must be near the camp, " exclaimed Arthur, and we shouted out. Wewere replied to by True's well-known bark, and directly afterwards wecould distinguish through the gloom the figure of Domingos making hisway amid the wood, with True running before him, down to the bank. There they stood ready to receive us. 

CHAPTER NINE. 

LOST IN THE FOREST. 

"I am thankful to have you back, my young masters, " exclaimed Domingos, as he helped us to land. "But what! have you not brought back thecanoe? I thought it was her you had returned in, and that the thirdperson I saw was Senor John. He set off some time back to look foryou. "

We briefly explained what had happened, and introduced the young Indian. Having secured the raft, we hastened to our encampment. Ellen andMaria came out to meet us. 

"I am so glad you have come back, " said Ellen, "for we were growing veryanxious about you. I hope John will soon return. I am surprised youdid not see him as you came down the igarape. "

I explained to her how easily we might have passed each other. "I daresay we shall see John in a few minutes. When he found night coming on, he would certainly turn back, " I added. 

We now brought Duppo forward and introduced him, telling Ellen about hissister Oria. 

"Oh, I should so like to see her!" she exclaimed. "Do try and make himunderstand that we hope he will bring her here. "

Though modest and retiring in his manner, Duppo soon made himself athome, and seemed well pleased at being in our society. Ellen wasdelighted with the curious bird he had brought her, and Maria undertookto tame it, as she had the parrot and Nimble. John had fortunatelykilled a paca in the morning, and Maria had dressed part of it forsupper. We were, however, unwilling to begin our meal till his return. We waited for some time, expecting him every instant to appear. We madethe fire blaze brightly as a signal, and Domingos and I went to a littledistance from the camp, first in one direction, then in another, shouting at the top of our voices; but we in vain listened for his inreturn. I then fired off my rifle, hoping that, had he lost his way, that might show him the position of the camp. We stood breathless, waiting to hear his rifle, but no sound reached our ears. We now becamevery anxious, but were unwilling to go further from the camp, lest wemight be unable to find our way back. True, who had followed us, addedhis voice to our shouts. 

"Hark!" said Domingos; "I hear a sound. "

We listened. It was a low, deep howl. It grew louder and louder. 

"That is only one of those big monkeys beginning its night music, " Iobserved. 

True, when he heard it, was darting forward, but I called him back, afraid lest he should meet with a prowling jaguar or huge boa, whichmight carry him off before we could go to his assistance. At length, with sad forebodings, we returned to the camp. We did our best tocomfort Ellen, yet it was very difficult to account for John'snon-appearance. 

"He must certainly have gone further than he intended, " observed Arthur;"then, not having the sun to guide him, must have taken a wrongdirection. He will probably climb up into some tree to sleep, and whenthe sun rises in the morning he will easily find his way back. "

"Oh, thank you, Arthur, for suggesting that!" said Ellen; "I am sure itmust be so. "

"At all events, " I said, "we will start away at daybreak to look forhim; and with our young Indian friend as a guide, we need have no fearin venturing into the forest. "

We had none of us much appetite for supper, but Domingos persuaded us totake some. We then made up a fire, intending to keep watch during thenight, hoping every moment that John might return. Domingos, however, at length persuaded Arthur and I to lie down in our hammocks; indeed, inspite of our anxiety, in consequence of the fatigue we had gone throughduring the day, we could with difficulty keep our eyes open. He madeDuppo get into his, saying that he himself would keep watch. Every nowand then I awoke, hoping to hear John's cheery voice. Each time Ilooked out I saw our faithful Domingos sitting before the fire, busyinghimself in throwing sticks on it to keep it blazing brightly. Occasionally I observed him get up, go to a little distance, and stretchout his neck into the darkness. Then he would come back again and takehis seat as before, while the various tones of croaking frogs, or hugecrickets, or the fearful howls of the night-monkeys, which came, nowfrom one direction, now from another, from the far-off depths of theforest, sounded as if they were keeping up a conversation amongthemselves. This dismal noise continued throughout the night. 

At daylight Arthur and I leaped from our hammocks, and roused up youngDuppo. We tried to explain to him that one of our number had gone away, and that we wanted to go in search of him. 

"Stay!" exclaimed Domingos; "you must not go without breakfast. I havebeen boiling the cocoa, and I will soon roast some paca. "

While we were breakfasting, Ellen and Maria came out of their hut. Ellen looked very pale and anxious, as if she had passed a sleeplessnight; and she confessed that she had not closed her eyes for thinkingof John, and what might have become of him. We were doubtful abouttaking True; but when he saw us preparing to start, he ran off, andwould not return, for fear of being tied up: we decided, therefore, tolet him go with us, thinking that he might be of assistance in findingJohn. 

Having done my best to comfort Ellen, we set out in the directionDomingos told us John had gone. We had stored our wallets with food, that we might not run the risk of starving should we be kept out longerthan we expected. Duppo had followed our example, having brought hisbag of farinha on shore. He carried his bow and blow-pipe; and Arthurwas armed with his bow, as well as with a long pointed staff; and I hadmy rifle and a good store of ammunition. Our Indian guide seemed tounderstand clearly our object, and led the way without hesitationthrough the forest. After we had gone some little distance, we saw himexamining the trees on either side. Then he again went on as before. He made signs to us that the person we were searching for had gone thatway. After a time he again stopped, and showed us how he had beenturning about, now in one direction, now in another. Then on he wentagain, further and further from the camp. As we were making our wayonwards, Duppo stopped, and signed to us to be silent; and then pointedto a tree a little way in front. We there saw on a bough a short-tailedanimal, with white hair. After waiting a minute or two, it turnedround, and a face of the most vivid scarlet hue was presented to us. Itseemed unconscious of our presence for it did not move from its post. The head was nearly bald, or at most had but a short crop of thin greyhair; while round the odd-looking face was a fringe of bushy whiskers ofa sandy colour, which met under the chin. A pair of reddish eyes addedto its curious appearance. The body was entirely covered with long, straight, shining white hair. 

Presently it moved along the branch, and began picking some fruit whichgrew at the further end. Duppo cautiously lifted his blow-pipe to hismouth. An arrow sped forth and struck the creature. The instant itfelt itself wounded, it ran along the branch till it reached anothertree. Duppo made chase, and we had no little difficulty in followinghim. On the creature went from tree to tree, and it seemed that therewas but a slight chance of his catching it. Presently we saw it again, but moving slower than at first. Slower and slower it went, till Duppocould easily keep close under it; then down it fell, almost into hisarms. True, who was ahead of us, darted forward, and, had I not calledhim back, would have seized the creature. The Indian, meantime, wasengaged in pulling out the arrow; and having done so, he put a pinch ofsalt into the creature's mouth. 

On examining it, we found it was a veritable monkey, one of the mostcurious of the race I ever saw. It was of the genera of _Cebidae_. Duppo called it a _nakari_ (_Brachyurus calvus_ is its scientific name). The body was about eighteen inches long, exclusive of the limbs. Itstail was very short, and apparently of no use to it in climbing; and itslimbs were rather shorter and thicker than those of most monkeys. In ashort time it began to show signs of life. 

We soon afterwards caught sight of another, with a young one on itsback, which our guide told us was a mother monkey. It, however, gotaway before he could bring his blow-pipe to bear on it. As soon as thelittle captive began to move, Duppo secured its front hands with a pieceof line, and threw a small net over its head to prevent it biting. Hethen secured it on his shoulder; and we again pushed on through theforest as fast as we could go. We were at length obliged to stop andrest. We had taken but a slight breakfast. Arthur said he was hungry;and Duppo showed that he was by taking out a cake of farinha and somedried meat from his bag. Anxiety, however, had taken away my appetite. 

While I was sitting down, I observed close to us what I took to be aseed-pod of some aerial plant, hanging straight down from a bough, atabout six feet from the ground. On going up to it, I found to mysurprise that it was a cocoon about the size of a sparrow's egg, wovenby a caterpillar in broad meshes of a rose-coloured silky substance. Ithung, suspended from the tip of an outstanding leaf, by a strong silkenthread about six inches in length. On examining it carefully, I foundthat the glossy threads which surrounded it were thick and strong. Bothabove and below there was an orifice, which I concluded was to enablethe moth, when changed from the chrysalis which slept tranquilly withinits airy cage, to make its escape. It was so strong that it couldresist evidently the peck of a bird's beak, while it would immediatelyswing away from one on being touched. I afterwards met with severalsuch cocoons; and once saw a moth coming forth from one. It was of adull, slatey colour, and belonged to the silkworm family of_Bombycidae_. 

Arthur persuaded me at last to take a little food; and having restedsufficiently, we again moved on. At length Duppo came to a stand-still, and signed to me to keep back True. I could hardly hold him, however, he seemed so anxious to push forward. Duppo had slung his blow-pipe athis back, and held his bow with an arrow to shoot. Then I saw himexamining the ground on every side under the boughs, many of which hungclose down to it. Presently the report of a gun reached our ears. 

"That is certainly your brother John!" exclaimed Arthur. 

The shot came from some distance, however. Then another, and another, followed at intervals of a few minutes. We now hurried on more eagerlythan ever, in spite of Duppo's signs to us to be cautious. I feltconvinced that John alone could have fired those shots. Again anothershot sounded close to us; and on emerging from the thicker part of theforest, we saw at a little distance the ground covered with a herd ofhog-like animals--though smaller than ordinary hogs--which I guessed atonce were peccaries. They were in a great state of commotion--runningabout in all directions, turning their long snouts up into the air. Going a few yards further on, there was John himself, seated high up onthe bough of a tree, to which numerous sipos hung. His gun was pointeddown towards the herd of peccaries, several of which lay dead on theground. Some of the others kept running about, but the greater portionwere standing looking up at him. There he sat, with his usualcomposure, regularly besieged by them. The attention of the savagecreatures was so occupied with him that they did not perceive ourapproach. 

I was somewhat surprised at the eager signs which Duppo made to us toclimb up a tree by means of some sipos which hung close at hand. Wewere hesitating to follow his advice, when he seized Arthur by the armand dragged him up. I thought it prudent to follow his example, as Ihad formed a good opinion of his sense. I lifted up True to Arthur, whocaught him in his arms; and then I swung myself up to the branch afterhim. We had just taken our seats facing John, when the peccariesdiscovered us; and a number of them turning round, charged across theground on which we had stood. Duppo had got his bow ready, and shot oneas they passed. He killed another as, turning round, they charged backagain, and then ran about looking up at us, as they had been watchingJohn. 

"I am very glad to see you safe!" I shouted out to John; for hithertowe had not had time to speak to him. "But why should we be afraid ofthese little creatures? They have more reason to be afraid of us, fromthe number you have killed, I should think. "

"Just look into their mouths, and you will soon see that they are not soharmless as you suppose, " he answered. "I have had a narrow escape oflosing my life; for one of them caught me in the leg as I was climbingthis tree, and had I let go my hold, the whole herd would have been uponme, and I should have been cut to pieces in a few seconds. Those tusksof theirs are as pointed as needles and as sharp as razors. I am veryglad you found me out, too; for I left my wallet hanging on a branch, just before I had to run for my life from these fellows. But how didyou get back?"

I briefly told him of our adventures. 

"You must have been anxious about me at the camp, " he observed. "Butthe honest truth is, I lost my way, and at this moment scarcely knowwhere I have got to. I had, however, few fears about myself; but havebeen very sorry for poor dear Ellen, while I could not tell whether youwere safe or not. However, we must drive away these savage littlebrutes. "

Saying this, he knocked over another. I followed his example. Arthurand Duppo were meantime shooting their arrows at the herd. Undaunted, however, the animals stood collected below us. It was evident that theywere influenced rather by dull obstinacy or ignorance of their dangerthan by courage. At length their obtuse senses showed them that theywere getting the worst of it. The survivors began to turn their fiercelittle eyes towards their dead companions, and it seemed to strike themthat something was the matter. 

"Shout!" cried out John--"shout! and perhaps we may frighten them away. "

We raised our voices, Duppo joining in with his shrill pipe. Thepeccaries looked at each other; and then one moved to a little distance, then another, and at last the whole herd set off scampering away throughthe forest. We sent reiterated shouts after them, fearing that theymight otherwise stop, and perhaps come back again; but they at lastdiscovered that discretion is the better part of valour, and thetrampling of their feet became less and less distinct, till it was lostin the distance. 

We now descended from our perches. I handed down True into Arthur'sarms. True had been very dissatisfied with his position, and, torevenge himself, at once flew at one of the hogs which was struggling ata little distance, and quickly put it out of its pain. We shook handswith John; and, congratulating him on his escape, introduced Duppo tohim, and told him how we had become acquainted. 

"Here, " he said, "look at these creatures, and you will see that I hadgood reason to be afraid of them. "

On examining their long and apparently harmless snouts, we found thatthey were armed with short tusks, scarcely seen beyond the lips; butbeing acutely pointed and double-edged, and as sharp as lancets, theyare capable of inflicting the most terrible wounds. Peccaries are themost formidable enemies, when met with in numbers, to be found in theforests of the Amazon. The creatures were not more than three feetlong, and a whole one was but an easy load to carry. The bodies wereshort and compact, and thickly covered with strong, dark-colouredbristles. Round the neck was a whitish band, while the under part ofthe body was nearly naked. Instead of a tail, there was merely a fleshyprotuberance. 

"What a horrible odour!" exclaimed Arthur, as we were examining one ofthem. 

We found that it proceeded from a glandular orifice at the lower part ofthe back. Duppo immediately took this out with his knife, and thenbegan scientifically to cut up the animal. Following his example, weprepared others to carry with us, and thus each made up a load of aboutthirty pounds. 

The learned name of the animal is _Dicotyles tajacu_. It eats anythingthat comes in its way, --fruits, roots, reptiles, or eggs; and it is ofgreat service in killing snakes. It will attack the rattlesnake withoutfear, and easily kills it. The meat appeared perfectly destitute offat, but we hoped to find it none the worse on that account. 

John, as may be supposed, was very hungry, and thankful for some of thefood we brought with us. After he had breakfasted we commenced ourreturn to the camp, loaded with the peccary meat. Duppo carried aportion in addition to the scarlet-faced monkey. The little creaturesat on his shoulder, looking far from at ease in its novel position. 

"Oh, we will tame you before long, and make you perfectly contented andhappy, " said Arthur, going behind Duppo and addressing the monkey. "What will you like to be called, old fellow? You must have a name, youknow. I have thought of one just suited to your red nose--Toby; TobyFill-pot, eh!--only we will call you Toby. I say, Harry, don't youthink that will be a capital name?"

I agreed that Toby was a very suitable name, and so we settled, withEllen's approval, that Toby should be the name of our scarlet-facedfriend. 

John walked on in silence for some time. "I am very much ashamed oflosing my way, " he said at length when I joined him. "Setting offthrough the forest to meet you, I went on and on, expecting everyinstant to see you. I fancied that I was close to the igarape, butsomehow or other had wandered from it. The gloom increasing, I hadstill greater difficulty in finding my way. At last I determined to goback to the camp, but instead of doing so I must have wandered furtherand further from it. It then grew so dark that I was afraid ofproceeding, and so looked out for a tree where I could rest for thenight. I saw one with wide-spreading branches at no great distance fromthe ground. Having cut a number of sipos, I climbed into my intendedresting-place, dragging them after me. I there fastened them to thesurrounding branches, making a tolerably secure nest for myself, Icannot say that I was very comfortable, for I could not help thinkingthat a prowling jaguar might find me out, or a boa or some other snakemight climb up, and pay me a visit. I shouted several times, hopingthat you might hear me, but the only answers I got were cries fromhowling monkeys, who seemed to be mocking me. The whole night long thecreatures kept up their hideous howls. The moment one grew tiredanother began. So far they were of service, that they assisted to keepme awake. I can tell you I heartily wished for the return of day. Assoon as it dawned I descended from my roosting-place, intending to makemy way back as fast as possible. However, as the sun had not appeared, I had nothing to guide me. I tried to find the water, but must havegone directly away from it. I was walking on, when I saw the snout ofan animal projecting from the hollow trunk of a large tree. Taking itfor a pig of some sort, I fired, when it ran out and dropped dead, itsplace being immediately supplied by another. I killed that in the sameway, when out came a third, and looked about it; and presently Idiscovered several other heads poked out from the surrounding trees. Iwas on the point of cutting some pork steaks out of the first I hadkilled, when I caught sight of the sharp little tusks projecting fromits mouth. Suddenly the accounts I had heard of the dangerous characterof peccaries flashed across my mind, and at the same instant I saw anumber of the animals coming out of their holes. Prudence urged me tobeat a quick retreat. I was making my way through the forest, and hadalready got to some distance from where I had first seen the creatures, when a large herd, which had apparently collected from all quarters, came scampering after me. I at once began to clamber up into a tree, where you found me. On they came at a great rate; and, as I told you, Inarrowly escaped being caught by one of the savage little brutes. Imust have spent a couple of hours or more besieged by them before youcame up. "

As we neared the camp we uttered as cheerful a shout as we could raiseto give notice of our approach, and Domingos soon appeared, followed byEllen and Maria. Ellen ran forward, and throwing her arms round John'sneck, burst into tears. It showed us how anxious she had been on hisaccount, although she had done her best, as she always did, to restrainher own feelings and keep up our spirits. 

We were all of us glad, after our exertions, to get into our hammocksand rest. We found on waking that Domingos and Maria had exertedthemselves to prepare a plentiful repast. While eating it we discussedour future plans. 

"We must either recover our canoe or build another, that is certain, "said John, "before we can continue our voyage. However, if we could besure that this is a secure and healthy place for you to remain in, Ishould like to arrange with some of these Indians to make an excursionalong the shores in search of our parents. Perhaps they are all thistime encamped or at some village, on this or the opposite bank, not faroff. It would, I think, be unwise to go further down without staying toascertain this. What is your opinion, Harry?"

I agreed with him, but said that I would rather run the risk of theadventure, and let him remain at the camp. "Or perhaps Arthur mightlike to come with me, " I added. "Two people might succeed better thanone; and we could even manage a canoe by ourselves independently of thenatives. "

"Oh yes, " said Arthur, "do let me go with Harry. We can take Duppo toassist us. He seems so intelligent that we should easily make himunderstand what we want. "

"Then I propose that early to-morrow morning we set off to the villageto search further for our canoe, or to purchase one, as John suggests, "I said. "I am afraid we shall not be able to get up there on our raft, and we shall therefore have to make a journey round by land. WithDuppo, however, as a guide, we shall have less difficulty than before inmaking our way to it. "

It was finally settled that John, Arthur, and I should set off early thefollowing morning to the village, guided by Duppo, while Domingosremained at the camp to take care of Ellen and Maria. 

CHAPTER TEN. 

AN ENCOUNTER WITH SAVAGES. 

As there was still some daylight remaining, John took his gun to killsome parrots or other birds which might prove more palatable food thanthe peccary flesh. 

"Take care that you do not lose yourself again, " I could not help sayingas he was starting. 

"Do not mock me, Harry, " he answered. "I wish to gain experience, anddepend on it I shall be careful to take the bearings of the camp, so aseasily to find my way back to it. I do not intend to go many hundredyards off. "

Arthur and I were in the meantime engaged in trying to tame Master Tobyand the umbrella-bird, which we called Niger. Both seemed tolerablyreconciled to captivity. Ellen's little pet parrot, Poll, kept castingsuspicious glances at its feathered companion, not satisfied with theappearance of the curious-headed stranger, while Nimble watched everymovement of his cousin Toby. 

After assisting Ellen to feed her pets, Arthur and I agreed to go out insearch of John, taking Duppo with us as a guide. We had not gone farwhen we saw him coming limping towards us. We were afraid that he hadhurt his foot. "What is the matter?" I asked, when we met. 

"That is more than I can tell, " he answered. "I have been for some timepast feeling a curious itching sensation in my feet, and now I canscarcely bear to put them to the ground. "

We helped him along to the camp, when, sitting down on a log, he tookoff his boots. We examined his feet, and found a few small blue spotsabout them. 

"I suspect, Senor John, I know what it is, " said Maria, who saw us. "Some chegoes have got into your feet, and if they are not taken outquickly they will cause you a great deal of suffering. "

"But I can see nothing to take out, " said John, looking at his feet. 

"To be sure not, " answered Maria, "because they have hidden themselvesaway under the skin. Let me see what I can do. My mother was famousfor taking out chegoes, and she showed me the way she managed. "

Maria, running into the hut, returned with a large needle. "Now, sitquiet, Senor John, and do not cry out, and I will soon cure you. "

Maria sat down, and taking John's foot on her knee, instantly began towork away with as much skill as the most experienced surgeon. We allstood by watching her. After a little time she produced between herfinger and thumb a creature considerably smaller than an ordinary flea, which she had taken out alive and uninjured. Giving it a squeeze, shethrew it to the ground with an expression of anger at its having daredto molest her young master; and thus in a very short time she hadextracted three or four insects from each of his feet. We had meantimebegun to feel something uncomfortable in ours, and on Maria's examiningthem, we found that a chego had taken possession of each of our bigtoes. The chego is a black little creature, which makes its way quietlyunder the skin, where, having got to a sufficient depth, it lays itseggs, and unless removed immediately, causes annoying and dangerousulcers. Ours were not there when we started to look for John, and bythis time they had worked their way completely out of sight. After thatwe carefully examined our legs and feet every night before going to bed, as during the time we were asleep they would have made themselvescompletely at home in our flesh, with house, nursery, and children toboot. 

Next morning, our feet being once more in good order, we put on thicksocks, and our alpargates over them, and John and I with our guns, Arthur with his bow and spear, accompanied by True, and led by Duppo, took our way through the forest. I kept True close to me; for after theexperience we had had, I was afraid of his encountering a jaguar, orpeccary, or boa, knowing, however formidable the creature might be, heto a certainty would attack it. I need not again describe the forestscenery. After going on for some time we stopped to lunch, when Arthur, who was at a little distance, called out to me. "Come here, Harry, " hesaid, "and look at this curious wooden caterpillar. " On joining him, Ifound on a leaf the head of a caterpillar projecting out of a woodencase fully two inches long. It was secured to the leaf by severalsilken lines. I took it up and examined it. There could be no doubtthat the case was the work of art, and not a natural growth, and that itwas formed of small pieces of stick fastened together with fine silkenthreads. Inside this case the creature can live secure from its enemieswhile feeding and growing. We afterwards found several of the samedescription. Another sort had made itself a bag of leaves open at bothends, the inside being lined with a thick web. It put us in mind of thecaddis worms which we had seen in ponds in England. 

We took care when going on always to keep in sight of each other. Arthur and I were together, and Duppo a little ahead. "Hark!" exclaimedArthur, "some one is singing in the distance. " I listened, and feltsure that some native, who had climbed up a tree not far off to getfruit, was amusing himself by singing. John and Duppo stopped also, attracted by the same sounds. We looked about in every direction, butcould see no one. Now the tones changed somewhat, and became more likethose of a flageolet, very sweet, and we expected to hear it break intoa curious native air, when presently it stopped, and instead of theflute-like notes, some clicking, unmusical sounds like the piping of abarrel-organ out of wind and tune reached our ears. Not till then hadwe supposed that the songster was a bird. Again it struck up in exactlythe same way as before. Though we all four looked about in thedirection whence the notes came, the mysterious songster could not bediscovered. Duppo was evidently telling us a long story about it, butwhat he said we could not comprehend. I afterwards found that the birdis called by the Portuguese the realejo, or organ-bird (_Cyphorhinuscantans_). It is the chief songster of the Amazonian forests. Thenatives hold it in great respect, and Duppo seemed very unwilling to goon while the bird continued its notes. 

At length we reached the village, and were received in a friendly way byour young guide's mother. Oria also seemed very glad to see us, and thelittle fat child whom Arthur called Diogenes, because he had first seenhim seated in a tub, put out his hands to welcome us, in no way alarmedat what must have appeared to him our extraordinary appearance. Ourhostess appeared somewhat anxious, and she had good cause to be so, forno news had been received of the war-party. Duppo explained what we hadcome for. She replied that she was afraid all the canoes had beencarried off, though it was possible a small one might have beenoverlooked further up the stream, and, if such were the case, she woulddo her best to persuade the owner to sell it to us. 

We wanted to start off immediately, but she insisted on our partaking ofsome food, which she and Oria set to work to prepare. 

As we were anxious to know whether a canoe could be procured, we spentlittle time over our repast, and again set off along the bank of theigarape. We inquired at each of the huts we passed about a canoe, butDuppo invariably shook his head, to signify that he could not hear ofone. Still we went on, searching in every spot where he thought a canoemight be concealed. After some time, finding a tree bending almosthorizontally over the water, we climbed along it for some way, that wemight get a better view up and down the channel. Arthur was theoutermost of the party. "Why, what can that be?" he exclaimed. "Seethere!" and he pointed up the canal. There, bending over the trunk of alarge tree, which hung much in the same manner as the one we were on, Isaw a huge jaguar. Its claws seemed ready for immediate action. Itseyes were evidently fixed on the surface of the water. 

"It is fifty yards off. It is looking out for a cow-fish, as was theone we saw the other day, " whispered Arthur. 

We told John, who was coming along the trunk, what we had seen. 

"We will let it catch the cow-fish first, then, and perhaps we may killboth creatures, " he observed. 

While he was speaking, the creature darted out one of its huge paws, anddrew it back again with a fish hanging to it. Instantly the fish wastorn to pieces and transferred to its jaws. We waited till the jaguarhad begun to watch for another, and then crawling along the tree, madeour way towards it. John and I got our guns ready, hoping to kill thebeast before it had discovered us. Just as we got near, however, ithaving caught another fish in the meantime, its eyes fell on us. Risingto its feet, it stood for a moment as if doubtful whether or not itshould attack us. I lifted my rifle to fire, but at that moment theanimal gave a bound and darted off through the thick foliage, amid whichit was hid from sight. We looked about, expecting to see it returning, but it had probably satisfied itself that we were too formidable enemiesto attack. We found some of the fish it had been eating on the trunk ofthe tree, and the remains of several others near it, which showed thatit had been successful in its sport. 

While searching round the tree Duppo gave a shout of satisfaction, andhastening up to him, we found a small canoe hid away under a thick bush. He soon discovered also two pairs of paddles, and made us understandthat we were welcome to the canoe. It was, however, so small that itwould barely carry all the party. It would certainly not have done sowith safety, except in the very smoothest water. We launched it, andJohn and Arthur, using great caution, got in. One of the paddles hadbeen left behind. Duppo ran back to get it. We saw him eagerlyglancing down an open glade which extended some distance into theforest. Suddenly he turned round, his countenance exhibiting terror, and stepping into the stern of the canoe, made signs to us to shove offand paddle away. He also began paddling with all his might. Wefollowed his example without stopping to inquire the cause of his alarm. We had got to some distance, when I happened to look round. I saw thatDuppo was doing the same. At that moment several figures appeared onthe bank near the spot we had left. They were savages, with theirbodies painted and decked with feathers. Bows were in their hands. They had apparently only that instant discovered us. The next a flightof arrows came whizzing after the canoe. They fell short, however, andwe redoubled our efforts to urge it forward. Still, deep in the wateras it was, we could scarcely hope to get beyond their reach. 

"Majeronas! Majeronas!" shouted Duppo, labouring away with his paddle. 

"On, boys, on!" cried John. "We must not allow them to come up with us. Active as they are, the forest is thick, and we may be able to getalong the water faster than they can make their way among the trees. "

Disappointed at finding that we were already beyond their reach, thesavages uttered piercing shrieks and cries to intimidate us. The waterbubbled and hissed as we drove our little canoe through it, comingfrequently over the bows. Still on we went. I could not, however, helpevery now and then looking round, expecting to see the savages on thebank neat us. Their shouts had ceased. 

"I am afraid our friends have been defeated, " observed Arthur; "andtheir enemies have come to attack the village. "

"If so, we must defend it, " said John. "They may possibly stand in aweof our firearms. We must, however, try to get to the village beforethey reach it, to warn the inhabitants. "

"But there are only old men, boys, and women to defend it, " said Arthur. "Could we not try to come to terms with their enemies?"

"I am afraid the Majeronas, if they have been victorious, are not likelyto listen to anything we have to say, " said John. "We must show themour rifles. They will understand that argument better than anythingelse. "

All this time we were paddling along as at first. Before us was anarrow part of the igarape, and I fully expected every instant to seethe savages appear on the bank. Still, we had made considerable way, and it was possible that we had kept ahead of them. I said nothing, however, lest it might discourage my companions. 

We were nearing the dreaded point. I saw that Duppo was keeping thecanoe over to the opposite side. 

"Would it not be better to get our guns ready to fire?" I said to John. 

"No, no, " he answered. "Keep paddling away. There is no honour noradvantage to be gained by fighting. If we reach the village, we shallmeet the foe on better terms. "

It was anxious work. We could not tell whether the next moment mightnot be our last. Then what would become of poor dear Ellen? We knewthat Domingos and Maria would do their best. Still, how could theyescape alone?

"Now, " said John, "we must dash by that point as fast as we can! Nevermind if we ship a little water. We must not let the savages kill us ifwe can help it. "

The point was reached. I expected to see a party of the Majeronas startup from among the bushes. On we went. I held my breath as I paddledaway. The point was passed. No savages appeared. 

"Hurrah!" cried Arthur, who was seated in the bows. "There is thevillage!"

In three minutes more we were on shore. Duppo set off running, shoutingat the top of his voice. The boys collected round him as he went, butinstantly dispersed to their huts. Before he was out of sight they hadagain collected, some with bows and arrows, others with _sumpitans_. Several old men appeared also, armed with larger weapons of the samedescription. Altogether, fully fifty men and boys were collected. Wecame to the conclusion that the enemy had hoped to surprise the village, and were approaching for that object when Duppo had discovered them. 

John advised that a breastwork should be thrown up, extending from theigarape across the path the Majeronas were likely to come by. Aftersome time, our friends seemed to comprehend what we wanted. Sometimbers for building a new hut were fortunately at hand. We droveseveral into the soft earth to form a palisade. The natives, on seeingus do this, understood what we wanted, and immediately the wholecommunity were busy at work, bringing up posts, and placing them as wedirected. They even pulled down three or four huts which stood near, the materials of which were suited to our purpose. The women workedaway as well as the men; and thus, with so many willing hands, in ashort time we had a fortification erected, which, though not verystrong, was sufficiently so to resist the attack of a party of nakedsavages. We encouraged them by explaining that our guns might do goodservice in their defence. By degrees we had formed a completehalf-circle, the ends resting on the igarape. 

As there still appeared to be time, we thought it better to fortify thewater side also. The people seemed clearly to understand our object. 

The evening was now drawing on. I was afraid that Ellen might becomeanxious at our non-appearance. I saw that something was on Arthur'smind. He came up to me. 

"Harry, " he said, "I do not wish to alarm you unnecessarily, but it hasjust occurred to me that the savages may have made a circuit, and foundtheir way to our camp. Would it not be wise to go there in the canoe;you and Duppo, for instance, and leave John and I to assist thesepeople?"

"Oh no! I cannot desert John, " I answered. "But what a dreadfulthought! No; you must go, Arthur, and take them off in the canoe; or, as the canoe cannot carry you all, load the raft, and tow it out intothe river. The risk is great, but anything will be better than fallinginto the hands of the savages. "

"I will do as you wish, " said Arthur; "but I do not like running awayfrom the post of the chief danger. "

"Why, Arthur, you see you could do but little with your bow, " Ianswered; "John and I will stay with our guns. But I do not suppose thesavages have gone round that way; for recollect there is the lagoon topass, which must compel them to make a wide circuit; and I do not seehow they can know anything about our camp. Still, I wish you could goto Ellen, and tell her what a strong fortification we have thrown up, and that there is really no cause to be alarmed. "

I must confess, however, that all the time I was speaking I feltfearfully anxious. 

At that moment, two or three bigger boys, who had gone out as scoutsinto the forest, came running back, and shouting out to the people. Thenext instant, men, women, and children rushed into the enclosure loadedwith household goods and provisions; and the men set to work to block upa narrow space, which had hitherto been left open. 

A few minutes only had elapsed after this was done, when, as we lookedthrough the palisades, we caught sight of several human figuresstealthily creeping among the trees. Our friends crouched down to theground. We also carefully kept out of sight. The strangers approachednearer and nearer. Now they stopped, looking suspiciously at the fort. They evidently could not understand what it was. Several others, emerging from the depths of the forest, joined them. They seemed to beholding a consultation. Their numbers kept increasing, till they formeda formidable band. They were sufficiently near for us to distinguishtheir appearance, and we were thus sure that they were the same peoplewho had shot their arrows at us from the bank of the igarape. That theycame with hostile intent was very evident. After they had talked forsome time, one of their number crept forward, close to the ground, keeping as much under shelter as possible; yet I could easily havepicked him off had it been necessary. Having approached quite near, heagain stopped, and seemed to be surveying the fortress. Presently wesaw him making his way back to his companions. It was well for him thathe had not come nearer, or he would have received in his body a poisonedarrow from a bow or blow-pipe. Several of our Indians were preparing toshoot. Again a long consultation was held. And now once more thesavage warriors began to move towards us. 

I waited for John to give the order to fire. I saw the boys droppingarrows into their blow-pipes, and the old men getting ready their bows. Even Arthur, though hating the thought of injuring a fellow-creature, was fixing an arrow to his bow. The enemy advanced slowly, extendingtheir line on both sides. In a little time they were near enough fortheir arrows to reach us. Never having seen a shot fired in anger, Ifelt a repugnance at the thought of killing a fellow-creature. Idaresay my companions felt as I did. I knew that Arthur had oftenexpressed his horror at having to go into battle, not on account of therisk he might run of being killed, but at the thought of killing others. Still, I had persuaded him that, if people are attacked, they must usethe right of defending themselves. 

Again they came on; and then suddenly once more stopped, and, drawingtheir bows, shot a flight of arrows. Most of them stuck in thepalisades, but fortunately none came through. We kept perfectly silent, hiding ourselves, as before, from the enemy. I was still in hopes theymight take the alarm and go away without attacking us. Now, led by achief, in a head-dress of feathers, with a long spear in his hand, uttering loud shouts and shrieks, like the war-whoops of North AmericanIndians, they dashed on. As they got within twenty yards of us, ournative garrison sprang up, and shot forth a shower of arrows from theirbows and blow-pipes. The enemy were thrown somewhat into confusion byso unexpected a greeting, and sprang back several paces. Two or threeof their people had been struck, as we saw them drawing the arrows fromtheir breasts with looks of alarm, knowing well that though the woundswere slight they were nevertheless likely to prove fatal. 

"If they come on again we must fire, " said John. "It may be true mercyin the end. "

We waited, expecting to see them once more rush on; but they evidentlyhad not calculated on opposition, and seemed very unwilling to courtdanger. They retreated further and further off. Still we could see thechief going among them, apparently trying to induce them to renew theattack. The muzzles of our rifles were projecting through thepalisades. 

"I am covering the chief, " said John. "I think it would be better topick him off; and yet I am unwilling to take the life of the ignorantsavage. "

While John was speaking, the chief disappeared behind a tree; and thenext instant his companions were hid from sight. We began to hope that, after all, they would retreat without attempting to attack our fortress. We waited for some time, when I proposed that we should send out ouryoung scouts to try and ascertain what had become of them. Just as wewere trying to explain our wishes, some of our people gave vent to loudcries, and we saw smoke rising from the furthest-off huts of thevillage. It grew thicker and thicker. Then we saw flames burstingforth and extending from hut to hut. It was too evident that thesavages had gone round, and, to revenge themselves, had, afterplundering the huts, set them on fire. Had we had a few active warriorwith us, they might have rushed out and attacked the enemy while thusemployed; but as our fighting men were either too old or too young, noattempt of the sort could be made. The poor natives, therefore, had towait patiently in the fort, whilst their homes and property were beingdestroyed. 

While most of the party were looking towards the village, I happened tocast my eyes in the other direction, from whence the enemy had come. There I saw a large body of men making their way among the trees. Myheart sank within me. I was afraid that our enemies were about to bereinforced. And now, with their numbers increased, they would probablyagain attack us. 

"It cannot be helped, " I said to John. "We must allow no feelings ofcompunction to prevent us from firing on them. Had we shot the chief, his followers would probably not have attempted to commit this barbarousact. "

At length I called Duppo, and pointed out the fresh band nowapproaching. Instead of being alarmed, as I had expected, hiscountenance brightened, and he instantly turned round and shouted outsome words in a cheerful tone. The whole of the villagers on thissprang up, and a look of satisfaction, such as Indians seldom exhibit, coming over their countenances, they began to shout in cheerful tones. Then several of them rushed to the entrance last closed, and pullingdown the stakes, hurried out towards the new-comers. As they drewnearer, I recognised one of the chiefs whom we had met--Maono, Duppo'sfather. A few words only were exchanged between the garrison and thewarriors, and then the latter rushed on towards the village. In a fewminutes loud cries and shouts arose, and we saw our late assailantsscampering through the woods, pursued by our friends. The former didnot attempt to stop and defend themselves. Several, shot by arrows orpierced by lances, lay on the ground. The remainder were soon lost tosight among the trees, pursued by the warriors who had just returned, and who seemed eager to wreak their revenge on the destroyers of theirvillage. 

No attempt was made to put out the flames; indeed, so rapidly did theyextend among the combustible materials of which they were constructed, that the whole of the huts standing within reach of each other werequickly burned to the ground. We now ventured to accompany Oria and hermother out of the fort. They were met by Maono, who received them incalm Indian fashion, without giving way to any exhibition of feeling. He, indeed, seemed to have some sad intelligence to communicate. Whatever it was, they soon recovered, and now seemed to be telling himhow much they owed their preservation to us--at least we supposed so bythe way he took our hands and pressed them to his breast. After sometime the rest of the warriors returned, and, as far as we could judge, they must have destroyed the greater number of their enemies. Maonoshowed more feeling when he spoke to his son, who gave him an account ofwhat had occurred. As we hoped to learn more from our young friend thanfrom any one else, we set to work, as soon as we could detach him fromhis companions, to make him give us an account of the expedition. 

As far as we could understand, Maono and his brother with theirfollowers had been unable for some time to fall in with the enemy. Atlength they met them in the neighbourhood of their own village, when afierce battle had been fought according to Indian fashion. Several menhad been killed on both sides, and among others who fell, pierced by apoisoned arrow, was Duppo's uncle, whose musket also had been captured. Several others had been taken prisoners, and, the lad added with ashudder, had been carried off to be eaten. In the meantime, it turnedout, another party of the Majeronas, hoping to find our friend's villageunprotected, had made their way through the forest to surprise it. 

It was very satisfactory to us, at all events, to find that we had beenthe means of protecting the families of these friendly Indians. Theytook the burning of their village very calmly, and at once set to workto put up shelter for the night; fires were lighted, and the women beganto cook the provisions they had saved. Maono invited us to partake ofthe meal which his wife and daughter had got ready. We would ratherhave set off at once to the camp, but night was now coming on, and whenwe proposed going, Duppo seemed very unwilling that we should do so. Weunderstood him to say that we might encounter jaguars or huge snakes, and we should be unable to see our way through the dark avenue of trees. As Ellen did not expect us to return, we agreed at length to follow hisadvice. I observed that our friends sent out scouts--apparently towatch lest any of the enemy should venture to return--a precaution I wasvery glad to see taken. 

As far as we could understand, the expedition had been far fromsuccessful, as none of the canoes had been recovered, and our friendsdid not even boast that they had gained a victory. From the terriblecharacter Duppo gave of the enemy, they perhaps had good reason to bethankful that they had escaped without greater loss. 

CHAPTER ELEVEN. 

DANGERS BY LAND AND WATER--A NEW FRIEND FOUND. 

Our Indian friends, although their people are generally soundemonstrative, endeavoured by every means in their power to show theirgratitude to us for the service we had rendered them. When we offeredto pay for the canoe, which we were anxious to retain, Maono entreatedus to accept it, intimating that he would settle with the owner. Wewere very glad to obtain the little craft; for, though too small for ourvoyage down the Amazon, it would enable us to carry out our project ofsearching the neighbouring shores for our parents. Though we had notpreserved their village from destruction, we had certainly saved thelives of their women and children, and did not therefore hesitate aboutaccepting the canoe as a gift. 

The chiefs sat up the greater part of the night, holding a council. Next morning it was evident that they had arrived at some importantdetermination. The inhabitants were busy collecting their scatteredgoods, and doing them up in portable packages. When we explained tothem that we were anxious to set off immediately for our own camp, theyintimated that they purposed accompanying us. As this, however, wouldhave delayed us greatly, we got Duppo to explain that we would gladlymeet them again at any spot they might appoint, but that we would godown by the igarape in the canoe. 

A hurried meal having been taken, we prepared to embark. Meantime themen were employed in loading the women and children with their goods. We thought that they were reserving some of the heavier loads forthemselves; but this, we soon found, was not the case, as they wereplaced on the backs of the stronger women. Even our hostess--thechief's wife--had to shoulder a load; and we felt very indignant when wesaw that Oria had to carry one also. 

"I say, Harry, don't you think we ought to save her from that?"exclaimed Arthur. "I am sure I would gladly carry it for her. "

"You would somewhat astonish her if you made the offer, " observed John;"and I suspect you would fall in the estimation of our warrior friends. Their creed is different from ours. They consider it derogatory tomanhood to carry a load or to do more work than they can help. However, as Ellen would perhaps like to have Oria with her, we might induce herparents to let her accompany Duppo. We cannot do without him, at allevents. "

We tried to explain our proposal to Duppo, and after some time hecomprehended us. Oria, however, seemed very unwilling to accept theoffer, as she clung to her mother, and turned away her head from us. Duppo at length came back, and we all got into the canoe. Our friendsinsisted on our taking as many articles of food as we could possiblycarry--dried fish and meat, bananas and farinha, as well as fruit andvegetables. True as usual took his seat in the bows. We were justshoving off, when Maono and his wife came down to us leading Oria. Thechief addressed us and his son, but what he said we could not of courseunderstand. However we agreed that it was all right, and Duppo seemedhighly pleased when his sister stepped into the canoe and took her seatin front of him. 

Bidding our friends adieu, we now began carefully to paddle down theigarape. We were some time in sight of the village, the wholeinhabitants of which we saw moving off, the men stalking first, withtheir bows and spears in their hands and their blow-pipes at theirbacks, and the women following, bending under the weight of the loadsthey carried. Even the children, except the smallest, who sat on theirmother's backs or were led by the hand, carried packages. 

"I am very glad we have saved the poor girl a heavy trudge through theforest, " observed Arthur; "but I cannot say much for the chivalry ofthese people. I was inclined to think favourably of the warriors when Isaw them going forth so bravely to battle, but the example they havegiven us of the way they treat their women lowers them sadly in myestimation. "

"Very true, Arthur, " remarked John. "It is a sure sign that a peoplehave fallen into a degraded and uncivilised condition when women do nothold an honourable position among them. But there are some savages whotreat their females even worse than these do. From what I have seen, they appear in many respects kind and gentle to them. The Australiansavage--who is, however, the lowest in the scale of civilisation--whenhe wants a wife, watches till he finds a damsel to his taste, and thenknocks her down with his club, a sign to her that she is henceforth tobe a submissive and dutiful wife. I am sure our friends here would notbe guilty of such an act. "

"No; I hope not indeed, " exclaimed Arthur. "Dreadful to think that Oriashould have to submit to such treatment. "

We had, as may be supposed, to paddle carefully to prevent runningagainst a bough or sunken trunk, as the least touch might have upset ourfrail craft. Though we might easily have scrambled out, yet we shouldhave run the risk of losing our guns and wetting our ammunition; besideswhich, an alligator might have been lurking near, and seized one of usin its jaws before we could escape to land. These considerations madeus very careful in our navigation. After some time, we began to feelsadly cramped from being unable to move. Oria sat quiet and silent, close to her brother, somewhat surprised, I dare say, at finding herselfcarried away by the three white strangers. John told us to keep ourtongues steady in the middle of our mouths, lest we should make thecanoe heel over; and, indeed, if we leant ever so slightly on one sidethe water began to ripple over the gunwale. Duppo steered verycarefully; and I, having the bow paddle, kept a very bright look-outahead for any danger which might appear under water. I could not helpthinking of the big cow-fish we had seen, and dreading lest one of themcoming up the igarape might give the canoe an unintentional shove withhis snout, which would most inevitably have upset her. 

Thus we went on. The lagoon was passed, and again we entered thechannel with the thick trees arching overhead. How cool and pleasantwas the shade after the heat of the sun to which we had been exposed inthe more open parts! As we approached the camp our anxiety to ascertainthat all was well increased. The nearer we got the more I longed to seethe smiling face of our dear little sister, and I thought of thepleasure she would have when we introduced Oria to her. At length wecould see in the far distance the landing-place near the camp. In oureagerness we forgot our caution, and very nearly sent the canoe underwater. "Be more careful, boys, " cried John, though he was paddling ashard as either of us. As we drew near I looked out for the raft at thespot we had left her moored, but could not see her. An uncomfortablemisgiving came over me, yet I could not bear to think that any accidenthad happened. I said nothing, and on we went. 

"Why, where is the raft?" exclaimed John. 

"Oh, perhaps Domingos has drawn her up on the bank, " observed Arthur. 

"That is more than he would have strength to do, " said John. "Besides, I can see the bank, and the raft is not there. "

As we drew near we raised a shout to attract Domingos, True joining uswith one of his cheerful barks. No one answered. 

"Domingos has probably gone out shooting, " observed Arthur. "We shallsee your sister and Maria running down directly. "

We looked eagerly towards the camp, but neither Ellen nor Mariaappeared. We at length clambered out of the canoe up the bank, leavingDuppo to help out his sister, and on we ran, breathless with anxiety, toascertain what had happened. The huts stood as we had left them, butthe occupants were not there. We looked about. The goods had beencarried off. Had the Indians been there--or had Ellen and herattendants fled? These were the fearful questions we asked ourselves. If the Indians had come, where had they carried our sister, and what hadthey done with her? We searched around in every direction. No signs ofviolence were to be discovered. Yet, unless the Indians had come, whyshould they have fled. The savage Majeronas would certainly have burneddown the huts. True was running about as surprised as we were to findno one there. Now he ran into Ellen's hut, then searched about in thesurrounding wood, and came back to us, as if he could not make up hismind what had happened. Duppo and Oria now arrived, having waited atthe bank to secure the canoe. We tried to make Duppo understand that wewanted to know his opinion. Though very intelligent for an Indian, wecould seldom judge his thoughts by the expression of his countenance. At last he comprehended us, but made no reply. After waiting aninstant, he went into Ellen's hut, and then, as True had done, examinedthe surrounding thickets. At last he came back and had a talk withOria. They seemed to have arrived at some conclusion. We watched themanxiously. Then we asked Duppo if the Majeronas had been there. Heshook his head, and then, taking my hand, led me back to the water, narrowly examining the ground as he went. On reaching the igarape hepointed down towards the great river. I understood him. 

"John! Arthur!" I shouted out, "they have gone that way on the raft. I am sure of it from Duppo's signs. Perhaps they have not got to anygreat distance, and we may overtake them. "

"Stay, " said John; "perhaps they are hiding somewhere near. We willshout out, and they may hear us. "

"There is no use in doing that, " I remarked. "Had the raft still beenhere I might have thought so, but it is evident that they have gone awayon it. It would easily carry them and all our goods, and for somereason or other Domingos has persuaded them to escape on it, hoping thatwe should follow. "

"Would not Ellen have left a note for us, or some sign, to show us wherethey have gone to, " observed John in a desponding tone. "That she hasnot done so puzzles me more than anything else. "

To satisfy John, we all shouted at the top of our voices again andagain; but no reply came. We were going to get into the canoe, whenDuppo showed us that we might prepare it with a little contrivance forencountering the rougher water of the river. Some sipos were near. These he cut down, and with Oria's assistance bound into two longbundles, which he neatly secured to the gunwale of the canoe, completelyround her. By this means the sides were raised four or five inches, andwould thus, I saw, greatly assist to keep out the water, and at the sametime would enable her to float, even should she be partly filled. Dupponow beckoned to us to get into her. We took our seats as before, andonce more we paddled down the igarape. Duppo's contrivance completelykept out the water, which would otherwise have broken on board; and wehad no longer any fear of driving the canoe as fast as we could throughit. We soon reached the open river. 

"Which way shall we turn--up or down the stream?" I asked. 

"Down, certainly, " said John; "the raft could not have gone up it. "

We accordingly made signs to Duppo to turn the canoe's head towards theeast. Before us appeared the island on which we so narrowly escapedbeing wrecked during the hurricane. We steered down near the mainland, examining narrowly the shores on either side. No raft could we see, norany one on the land. The water was smooth in the channel through whichwe were passing, but when we got to the end of it, we found the surfacerippled over with waves, which, although small, threatened to bedangerous to our deeply-laden little craft. I proposed that we should, notwithstanding, endeavour to paddle up along the other side of theisland, in case Ellen and her companions might have landed on it. Wemade signs to Duppo to steer in that direction; but he, instead of doingso, pointed to a spot some way down the river, signifying to as that hewished to land there. We concluded that it was the place where hisfather had appointed to meet him. "Perhaps he sees the raft; it mayhave drifted there, " exclaimed Arthur. "At all events, I am sure itwill be better to do as he proposes. "

We accordingly paddled on under Duppo's pilotage. Now that we wereexposed to the breeze blowing across the river, our heavily-laden canoecould with difficulty contend with the waves, which, in spite of theraised gunwale, every now and then broke into her. Had it not been forthe young Indian's thoughtful contrivance, we should inevitably havebeen swamped. After going on for some distance, we reached the mouth ofanother igarape. Just outside it, facing the river, was a small openspace, free of trees, with a fringe of rushes growing between it and thewater. With some little difficulty we forced the canoe through therushes, and we then, by scrambling up the bank, reached the spot I havedescribed. Duppo made signs to us that it was here he wished to remainfor the arrival of his father. 

"We may as well do as he proposes then, " said John, "and we will set offand look for the raft. If we do not find it--which Heaven forbid!--wewill return and obtain the assistance of the Indians in making a moreextended search. "

The spot was a very beautiful one, open entirely to the river in front, while the trees behind, not growing so closely together as usual, allowed the air to circulate--a very important consideration in that hotclimate. "It is just the place I should have chosen for an encampmentwhile we are searching for our father, " said John. Arthur and I agreedwith him; but as we were eager to be off again, we had no time to talkabout the matter. Landing the greater part of the provisions, weexplained our intentions to our young friends. They understood us, butseemed unwilling to be left behind. John also proposed that Arthurshould remain on shore. "I will do as you wish, " he answered; "but I donot like to be separated from you. " While we were speaking, standing onthe bank, looking out over the river, he exclaimed, "See, see! what isthat speck out there towards the other side?" We eagerly looked in thedirection he pointed. 

"I am afraid it is only the trunk of a tree, or a mass of grass floatingdown, " said John. 

"Oh no, no! I am nearly sure there are people on it!" cried Arthur, whose eyes, as we had found, were keener than ours. 

"At all events, we will go towards it, " cried John. 

We hurried down and slipped into the canoe. "Yes; I know that you maygo faster without me, " said Arthur. "You know what I should like to do;but if it is better, I will remain on shore. "

We thanked him for his self-denial, and I was about to propose leavingTrue with him, when the dog settled the point by jumping in. John and Ishoved off, and paddled on with all our might. Now that we had fewerpeople on board, we made much better way than before, and floatedbuoyantly over the mimic seas which met us. We had marked the directionof the object we had seen. From the water it was at first scarcelyvisible. As we went on we again caught sight of it. How anxiously wewatched it! One moment I thought it must be the raft, the next I wasafraid it was but the trunk of a tree, or a flat island of grass. How Ilonged for a spy-glass to settle the point, but unfortunately wepossessed none. For some minutes neither John nor I spoke. 

"Harry!" he exclaimed, at length, "I see some one waving. Yes, yes; Iam sure it is the raft!"

I strained my eyes to the utmost. I too thought I saw people on theobject ahead of us. If people they were, they were sitting down though. 

"Probably Domingos is afraid of standing up, " said John. Then Iremarked this to him. "I am glad the wind is across the river insteadof up it, or it would be fearfully dangerous for them. "

"Then you do think it is the raft?" I asked. 

"I am sure of it, " answered John. 

We redoubled our efforts. Every instant the object grew clearer andclearer. We could scarcely be deceived. 

"Heaven be praised!" exclaimed John; "I see Ellen and Maria, one on eachside, and Domingos working away with his paddle at one end. They aretrying to come towards us. "

I saw them too, and could even make out Nimble, and Toby, and Poll, andNiger. My heart leaped with joy. In a few minutes more we were up tothe raft. 

"We will not stop to ask questions, " exclaimed John, as we gotalongside. "Here, Maria; hand me your painter, and we will secure it toours, and tow you back to the north bank. You must tell us what hashappened as we go along. "

"Oh, but Arthur! why is Arthur not with you? Has anything happened tohim?" exclaimed Ellen. 

"No; he is all right, " answered John, pointing to the shore. 

While he was speaking, we transferred our painter to the stern of thecanoe, and secured it as a tow-rope to the raft. We put the canoe'shead the way we wished to go, and paddled on. The wind was in ourfavour; and Domingos, with Ellen and Maria, worked away with theirpaddles also on the raft. We were exerting ourselves too much to speak. Our dear sister was safe; but yet it was somewhat difficult to restrainour curiosity to know what had occurred. The wind was increasing everymoment; and as we neared the shore we saw that there might be somedanger of the water washing over the raft should we attempt to landunder the bank. I proposed, therefore, that we should steer for theigarape. It was no easy matter, however, to get there, as the currentwas carrying us down. Domingos tried to urge the raft in the directionwe wished to go. The wind continued to increase, and the current sweptus further and further to the east. The seas rising, tossed the raft, now on the one side, now on the other; and every moment I dreaded thatthose on it might be thrown off or washed away. We entreated them tohold on tightly. Even the canoe, though before the wind, was tossedconsiderably. We could now distinguish our friends on shore watching usanxiously as we approached. Already we had drifted down below them. They were trying to make their way through the forest to follow us. 

"We must drift down till we can see some place where we can get on shorewith a prospect of safety, " observed John. 

I agreed with him that it was our only alternative; yet I knew thatsometimes for miles together along the banks such a place might not befound. We turned the head of the canoe, however, down the stream, anxiously looking out for a fit spot to land. I dreaded, as I cast alook over my shoulder at the sky, that such a hurricane as we had beforeencountered was brewing; and if so, our prospect of being saved wassmall indeed. I saw that Domingos also was casting a glance back at thesky. We could see the tall trees on shore bending before the blast. Every moment our position became more and more perilous. If landing inthe daylight was difficult, it would be still more so to get on shore inthe dark. 

Down the mighty river we floated. The last rays of the sun camehorizontally over the waters, tinging the mimic waves with a brightorange hue. Then gradually they assumed a dull, leaden tint, and thetopmost boughs of the more lofty trees alone caught the departing light. Still no harbour of refuge appeared. I proposed running in, as thelast desperate resource, and scrambling on shore while we could stillsee sufficiently to find our way. 

"We shall lose our goods, and the canoe, and the raft, if we make theattempt, " answered John, "and perhaps our lives. We must still try tofind a safe place to land at. "

We were yet at some distance from the shore, though, driven by thefierce wind, we were rapidly approaching it. The storm increased. Darkclouds were gathering overhead. A bright flash of lightning darted fromthem, crackling and hissing as it went along the water: another, andanother followed. Suddenly, as if a thick mantle had been thrown overus, it became dark, and we could scarcely have distinguished an openingin the forest had one been before us. John was more unwilling than everto risk landing; and we therefore steered down the river, parallel withthe shore, so as to prevent the raft as long as possible from beingdriven against it. 

"Paddle on, Harry!" cried John, with his usual coolness; "we may yetfind a harbour of refuge. "

We could judge pretty well, by the varying outline of the leafy wallclose to us, that we were making rapid way. The wind, too, had shiftedmore to the west, and drove us therefore still before it. Arthur andour Indian friends would, I knew, be in despair at not seeing us land;while it was certain that they could not keep pace with the raft, asthey had to make their way through the tangled forest. Now thatdarkness had come on, they would probably be compelled to stopaltogether. 

The wind blew harder. The raft was tossed fearfully about. Anotherrattling peal of thunder and more vivid flashes of lightning burst fromthe clouds. Maria shrieked out with terror; while the two monkeys clungto her, their teeth chattering--as alarmed as she was, Ellen afterwardstold me. Then again all was silent. 

"I am afraid, Harry, we must make the attempt, " said John at last. "Butthe risk is a fearful one. We must tell Ellen, Domingos, and Maria tobe prepared. --Be ready, dear Ellen!" cried John. "Hold on tightly; andwhen I call to you, spring towards me. We must manage by some means toget on shore. Domingos will help Maria. Harry will try to secure theguns and ammunition; our existence may depend upon them. The animalsmust take care of themselves. --Domingos, are you ready?" he asked, inSpanish. 

"Si, si, Senor John. But look there, master; what is that light onshore? It must come from some hut surely, where we may obtain shelter. Let us try to reach the place. Even if there are savages there, theywill not refuse to help us. "

As he spoke, we observed a bright light bursting forth from among thetrees, at a short distance off along the bank. Now it disappeared--nowit came again in sight. We paddled down towards it. It was apparentlya torch held in a person's hand. We rapidly approached the light, butyet failed to discover any place where we could land with safety. Weshouted loudly, hoping to attract the attention of any one who might benear. Presently a hail came off the land. We answered it. Again avoice was heard. 

"Can you tell us where we can land with safety?" cried John, in Spanish. 

The answer was unintelligible. Presently he asked again in English; andin a little time we saw the light moving along the bank. Then itremained stationary. We exerted ourselves to the utmost to steer forit; and we now saw a division in the wall of trees, which indicated thatthere was a passage between them. Again the thunder reared, thelightning flashed, and the wind blew with fearful force. 

Maria shrieked loudly, "The water is washing over the raft!"

"Hold on! hold on!" cried John; "we shall soon be in safety. " And inanother minute we were entering the mouth of a narrow channel. "We willturn the canoe round, " said John, "and let the raft go first. We maythus prevent it being dashed on the bank. "

We did as he advised. Scarcely, however, had we turned the raft roundwhen we found it had reached the shore. 

"Do you, Domingos, help the senora and Maria to land!" shouted John. 

By the light from the torch we saw a tall figure standing on the bank. He flung the light so that it might fall across us. 

"Females!" he exclaimed. "A sorry night to be buffeting with the wavesof the Amazon! Give me your hands, whoever you are. I should littlehave expected to find my countrymen in such a plight in this remoteregion. "

While he was speaking he helped Ellen and Maria up the bank, the twomonkeys following, while Poll and Niger clung fast to Maria's shoulders. Faithful True did not attempt to leap on shore, though he could easilyhave done so, but remained with me in the canoe. Domingos, meantime, was hastily throwing our goods on shore; while we continued exertingourselves in preventing the raft being lifted by the force of the waterand upset on the bank. 

"All the things are safely landed, " cried Domingos at length. 

We then, casting off the tow-rope, paddled round, and ran the bow of thecanoe on shore. Not till then did True leap out of her. Domingos andthe stranger coming down, helped us to drag her out of the water. 

"We may save the raft also, " said the latter. "You may require it tocontinue your voyage; as I conclude you do not intend to locateyourselves here, and compel me to seek another home in the wilderness. "

I was struck by the morose tone in which the stranger spoke. He, however, assisted us in dragging up the raft sufficiently high toprevent its being knocked about by the waves, which ran even into thecomparatively smooth part of the channel in which we found ourselves. 

"We heartily thank you for your assistance, " said John. "We owe thepreservation of our lives to you; for, with the increasing storm, wecould scarcely have escaped destruction had we been driven further downthe river. "

"You owe me no thanks, young sir. I would have done the same for aparty of benighted savages, as you call them, " answered the stranger. "Your dumb companions are equally welcome. I am not ill pleased to seethem. It speaks in your favour that they follow you willingly, insteadof being dragged about with ropes and chains, or confined in cages, ascivilised men treat the creatures they pretend to tame. I have, however, but poor shelter to offer you from the deluge which will soonbe down on our heads. Follow me; there is no time to be lost. "

"But we must not allow our goods to remain out, " said John. 

"I will assist you, then, to carry them, " answered the stranger, liftingup double the number of packages which we usually carried at a time. 

We then all loaded ourselves. Ellen insisted on carrying a package, andfollowed the stranger, who went before us with his torch. We could noteven then exchange words, as we had to proceed in single file along anarrow pathway, fringed on either side with thick shrubs--apparently theafter-growth of a cleared spot, soon to spring up again into tall trees. We soon found ourselves within the forest, where, so dense was thegloom, that without the torch to guide us we could not have made ourway. Its ruddy flame glanced on the trunks of the tall trees, showing acanopy of wide-spreading boughs overhead, and the intricate tracery ofthe numberless sipos which hung in festoons, or dropped in longthreadlike lines from them. Passing for a few yards through a jungle, the boughs spreading so closely above our heads that we often had tostoop, we found ourselves in an open space, in which by the light of thetorch we saw a small hut with deep eaves, the gable end turned towardsus. It was raised on posts several feet from the ground. A ladder ledto a platform or verandah, which projected from the wall of the gable, in which was a small door. 

"Here you are welcome to stow your goods and rest for the night, " saidthe stranger. "No human being but myself has ever entered it; for Iseek not the society of my fellow-men, either savage or civilised, so-called. To-morrow, if the weather clears, you will, I conclude, proceed on your way; or if you insist on remaining, I must seek anotherhome. Let that be understood, before I make you further welcome. Now, enter, and such accommodation as my hut affords shall be yours. "

There was something in the tone of the speaker which, though his dresswas rough and strange, made us feel that he was a man of education. 

"We cordially thank you, sir, " answered John, "and accept yourhospitality on the terms you propose; but as a portion of our goodsstill remain near the river, we would ask you to give us another torchto enable us to fetch them before the rain comes done. "

"I will myself accompany you, " he answered, "when I have introduced theyoung people to my abode. "

Saying this, he stepped up the ladder, and assisted Ellen and Maria toreach the platform. He then led the way in, and lighted a lamp whichstood--we could see through the open door--on a table near it. 

"I am sorry I have no better accommodation to offer you, " he said, looking at Ellen; "but such as it is, you are welcome to it. "

He came down with another torch in his hand, and proceeded with rapidstrides back to the river. We had some difficulty in following him. Again he took up a heavy load; and we, dividing the remainder of thegoods between us, followed him towards the hut. Ascending the ladder aswe reached it, he desired us to hand up the goods, which he carriedwithin. As soon as we were on the platform, he drew up the ladder. 

"I always secure myself thus in my fortress at night, " he remarked; "andas I have taken means of preventing any snakes crawling up the posts onwhich it stands, I can sleep more securely than many do in the so-calledcivilised portion of the globe. "

On entering the house, we found that it was larger than we had supposedfrom its appearance outside. It was divided into two rooms. The outerwas fitted up, in somewhat rustic style, as a sitting-room, while weconcluded that the inner one was a sleeping-room. Round the walls werearranged shelves, on one of which were a considerable number of books, with a variety of other articles. In one corner was a pile of nets andharpoons, and some spears and other weapons for the chase; in anotherstood an Indian mill for grinding flour, and several jars and otherarticles, apparently for preparing or preserving food. Against thewalls stood several chests. Though the table was large enough for thewhole of us to sit round it, yet there was but one stool, showing thatour host, as he had told us, was unaccustomed to receive guests. He, however, pulled the chests forward, and by placing some boards betweenthem, we all found seats. 

"If you have not brought provisions, I will supply you while you staywith me, " he observed; "but my own consumption is so small that I havebut a limited amount to offer you. "

"We would not willingly deprive you of that, sir, " said John; "and wehave enough to last us till we can supply ourselves with more. "

"That is fortunate, " remarked the recluse. "While your servant gets itready, I will prepare my room for the young lady and her attendant. Ihave no cooking-place under shelter, and while the rain is pouring down, as it will begin to do presently, a fire cannot be lighted outside. Youmust therefore be content with a cold repast. "

While the recluse--so I may call him--was absent, we for the first timehad an opportunity of asking Ellen what had occurred to drive her andher attendants away from the camp. 

"I was indeed unwilling to do so, " she said, "till urged by Domingos. He had gone to shoot at a short distance from the hut, when he camehurrying back with a look of alarm, and told me that he had caught sightof some savages making their way through the forest. He insisted thatthey were trying to find us out, and that our only hope of safety was byinstant flight. I pleaded that you would come back, and finding usgone, would fancy we had been carried off or killed. He argued that onyour return, finding the raft gone, you would know we had embarked onit. At length he agreed, that if we would assist to carry the goodsdown to the raft he would again search round the camp, and should thenatives appear to be going in a different direction, we might carry themback again. He had not gone long, when he returned with dismay on hiscountenance, asserting that they were coming towards us, and that if wedid not escape we should certainly be killed. You may suppose, my dearbrothers, how fearfully agitated I was. I knew how alarmed you would beon returning not to find us, and yet, if we should remain it might bestill worse. Domingos and Maria settled the matter by seizing me by thearms, and dragging me to the raft before I had time to write a note orleave any signal. I scarcely thought, indeed, of doing so, tillDomingos had pushed the raft off from the bank. I entreated him to goback; but he replied that it was impossible without the risk of beingcaught by the savages, and began paddling the raft down the channel. Ilooked back, and seeing no natives, again urged him to return. Hereplied that he was sure they would lie in ambush to catch us, and thatit would be destruction to do so. Feeling that he wished to secure mysafety, I could not complain. He did his best, too, to comfort me aboutyou. He said that as you were probably with the friendly natives, youwould be defended from the Majeronas; and that by the time you had comeback, those he had seen would have gone away, and you would certainlyguess that we were not far off. I did my utmost to arouse myself and toassist Maria and him in paddling the raft. The wind was light, thewater smooth, and there appeared to be no danger in venturing out intothe river. A light wind was in our favour, and he accordingly steeredtowards the opposite bank, saying that we should be safer there thananywhere else, and might more easily get back than by going down thestream. I looked frequently towards the shore we had left, but stillsaw no natives. Poor Domingos was evidently anxious about you, thoughhe did his best not to alarm me more than he had done already. Wefound, after getting some way across, that the current was floating usdown much faster than we had expected, and I begged Domingos thereforeto return. He insisted that, having got thus far, it was better tocontinue our course towards the southern bank, and wait there for afavourable wind for getting back. I was thankful when at length wereached a sandy beach, where we could land without difficulty and secureour raft. Domingos fortunately shot a paca, so we had plenty of food;and Maria and I assisted him in putting up a hut. Had I not been soanxious about you, I should have had no cause to complain. They bothexerted themselves to the utmost; and I do not think Domingos closed hiseyes all night, for whenever I awoke I saw him, through an opening inour hut, walking about or making up the fire. We spent the morning onthe bank, watching in the hope of seeing you come to look for us. Assoon as the wind changed, I entreated Domingos to put off, and at last, though somewhat unwillingly, he consented to do so; but he blamedhimself very much for yielding to my wishes, when the wind began to blowso violently. Had you, indeed, not arrived to assist us, I suspect thatour raft would have been in great danger of being overwhelmed. "

"We have reason to be thankful, dear Ellen, that you were preserved, "said John. "I am very sure Domingos acted for the best. I wish foryour sake that our expedition had come to a favourable end, although therest of us may enjoy it. "

"Oh, if it were not for anxiety about papa and mamma, and dear Fanny, and Aunt Martha, I should like it too, " said Ellen. "When we once findthem, I am sure that I shall enjoy our voyage down the river as much asany of you. "

"You are a brave girl, " said the stranger, who at that moment returned, "though, perhaps, you scarcely know the dangers you may have toencounter. Yet, after all, they are of a nature more easily overcomethan many which your sisters in the civilised regions of the world arecalled to go through. Here you have only the elements and a few wildbeasts to contend with; there, they have falsehood, treachery, evilexample, allurements of all sorts, and other devices of Satan, to dragthem to destruction. "

While we were seated at supper, the rain came down in tremendoustorrents, as the recluse had predicted. The strength of his roof wasproved, as not a drop found its way through. 

"I am protected here, " he remarked, "from the heat of the summer monthsby the leafy bower overhead; while, raised on these poles, my habitationis above the floods in the rainy season. What can man want more? Muchin the same way the natives on the Orinoco form their dwellings amongthe palm-trees; but they trust more to Nature, and, instead of piles, form floating rafts, sufficiently secured to the palm-trees to keep themstationary, but rising and falling as the floods increase or diminish. "

I was struck with many of the remarks of our eccentric host, but themore I saw of him the more I was surprised that a man of his informationshould have thus secluded himself from the world. We had just time togive Ellen an account of our adventures, when he expressed his wish thatwe should hang up our hammocks, as it was past his usual hour forretiring to rest. This was an operation quickly performed, as we hadonly to secure them in the usual way to the posts which supported theroof. 

"We should not part, " said Ellen, somewhat timidly, "without our usualprayer; and we have cause to thank God for our preservation fromdanger. "

The recluse looked at her fixedly. "You are in earnest, I am sure, " hemuttered. "Pray, young people, do not depart from your usual custom; Iwill wait for you. "

Arthur, I should have said, though the youngest, always led us inprayer. "As he is absent, " I remarked to Ellen's request, "I will doso. "

"Oh, you have a young chaplain with you, " said the recluse; "and whatpay does he receive?"

"None at all, sir, " answered Ellen. "He is only earnest and good. "

"I should like to meet him, " said the recluse. 

"I hope you may, sir, " said Ellen, "if you come with us. "

A short prayer was offered up. I spoke with the earnestness I felt. Ellen then read a portion of Scripture from the Bible she had always athand in her trunk. Our host listened attentively, his eyes fixed on ouryoung sister. I had not observed a copy of the blessed Book on hisshelves. He made no remark, however, on the subject, but I thought histone was less morose than before. 

We were soon in our hammocks, a small oil lamp, which was kept burningon the table, throwing a subdued light through the chamber. True, Ishould have said, from our first meeting with the stranger, had eyed himaskance, having apparently some doubts as to his character. He now cameand coiled himself up in his usual position under my hammock. He hadkept as far off from him as he could during the evening, and did notseem satisfied till the tall figure of the recluse was stretched out inhis hammock near the entrance of the hut. The rain pattering overhead, and splashing down on the soft ground round us, kept me for some timeawake. It ceased at length, and soon afterwards, just as I was droppingoff to sleep, a chorus of hideous sounds commenced, coming apparentlyfrom no great distance in the forest. Now they resembled the cries andgroans of a number of people in distress. Now it seemed as if a wholetroop of jaguars were growling and snarling over their prey. Now itseemed as if a company of Brobdignag cats were singing a serenade. Nowthe sounds for a moment ceased, but were instantly taken up again byother creatures at a distance. After a time, the same soundsrecommenced in another quarter. Had I not already been well accustomedto similar noises, I might have fancied that we had got into some foresthaunted by evil spirits bewailing their lost condition. I wassufficiently awake, however, to guess that they proceeded only fromtroops of howling monkeys, though we had never yet heard them so near, or in such numbers. In spite of the hideous concert, I at last fellasleep. 

The voice of our host aroused us at daybreak. "As soon as you havebroken your fast, I will accompany you to find your companions, " hesaid, "unless you desire to proceed by water. In that case, you willscarcely meet them; but I would advise you to leave your canoe and rafthere, as I can conduct you through the forest by the only open pathswhich exist, and by which alone they can make their way in thisdirection. I am afraid, unless they had their wits about them, theymust have been exposed to the tempest last night, and may be but illable to travel far this morning. "

John at once decided to go by land, as the canoe was not large enough toconvey all our party. The recluse looked at Ellen. "She will scarcelybe able to undergo the fatigue of so long a walk, " he remarked. "If shewishes it, she and her attendant can remain here, while we go to meetyour companions; and you can then return and remove your property, orleave it till you can find the means of continuing your voyage. I didnot purpose to allow my solitude to be thus broken in on; but, "--and helooked again at Ellen--"she reminds me of days gone by, and I cannotpermit her to be exposed to more trials than are necessary. "

John thanked him for his proposal, though Ellen seemed unwilling toremain behind. We also did not like to leave her. At last Johnsuggested that Domingos should remain also. The recluse pressed thepoint with more warmth than I should have expected, and at last Ellenagreed to do as was proposed. She was certainly better off in awell-built hut than she had been for some time, and strange andeccentric as the recluse appeared, still we felt that he was disposed toassist us to the best of his power. 

Our early breakfast over, John and I, shouldering our rifles, followedby True, set off with the recluse. Ellen looked rather sad as we weregoing. 

"You will find poor Arthur? I know you will, " she said in a low voiceto me. "I thought of him a great deal last night, out in the fiercetempest, with only two young Indians to assist him; and he is not sostrong as you are, and has no gun to defend himself. I could not helpthinking of fierce jaguars roaming in search of prey, or those dreadfulboas, or the anacondas we have heard of. "

"Oh, drive all such thoughts from your mind, Ellen, " I answered. "Arthur, if not so strong, has plenty of sense and courage; and, dependupon it, the Indians will have found some hollow tree, or will havebuilt a hut for themselves, in which they would have taken shelterduring the night. I should not have minded changing places with Arthur. It is all right. We will bring him back safe enough. "

With these words I hurried after John and the recluse. We had not gonefar, when I saw them looking up into a tree. True darted forward andbegan to bark, when, in return, a chorus of terrific barks, howls, andscreeches proceeded from the higher branches, and there I saw seated agroup of several large monkeys with long tails and most hideous faces. Every instant they threw up their heads, and the fearful sounds I hadheard issued forth from them. I could scarcely suppose that animals ofsuch a size could make so much noise. 

"You have there some of my friends who serenaded you last night, "observed the recluse, when, after a few minutes, the monkeys ceasedhowling. "These are the _mycetes_, or ursine howlers. The creature iscalled in this country _araguato_, and sometimes by naturalists the_alouatte_. It is known also as `the preacher. ' If he could discourseof sin and folly, and point out to benighted man the evil of his ways, he might howl to some purpose but his preaching is lost on the denizensof the forest, who know nothing of sin, and are free from the follies ofthe world. Observe that with how little apparent difficulty he givesforth that terrific note. It is produced by a drum-shaped expansion ofthe larynx. The hyoid bone, which in man is but slightly developed, isin these monkeys very large. It gives support to the tongue, beingattached to the muscles of the neck. The bony drum communicates withthe wind-pipe, and enables them to utter those loud sounds. "

Had Arthur been with us, I am sure we should have indulged in a heartylaugh at the curious faces of those thick-jawed creatures as they lookeddown upon us inquisitively to ascertain what we were about. They wereconsiderably larger than any we had seen; indeed, the howler is thelargest monkey in the New World. The fur is of a rich bay colour, andas the sun fell upon the coats of some of them above us, they shone witha golden lustre. The thick beard which hung from the chin and neck wasof a deeper hue than the body. Our friend told us that those he hadcaught were generally about three feet long, and that their tails inaddition were of even greater length. We went on without disturbing theassemblage in their aerial seat, greatly to True's disappointment, whowould evidently have liked to measure his strength with one of them. Like the spider monkeys, they live entirely in trees, making good use oftheir long tails as they move about from branch to branch; indeed, thetail serves the howler for another hand. When by any chance he descendsto the ground, he moves along very awkwardly, and can easily be caught, as we afterwards discovered. 

Our new acquaintance was but little inclined to talk; indeed, had hebeen so, we could seldom have enjoyed much conversation, as we werecompelled in most places to follow him in Indian file. Now and then hehad to use his hatchet to clear the path, and we very frequently had toforce our way by pressing aside the branches which met in front of us. Still he went on without wavering for a moment, or appearing doubtful ofthe direction he should take. After going on some way further, he againstopped, and pointed to a tree, the branch of which rose a few feet off. I knew by the way True barked that some creature was there; and lookingmore narrowly, I observed some animals clinging to the lower branches, but so nearly did they resemble the bark to which they were holding, that had they not been pointed out to me I should have passed them by. The animals turned listless glances at us, and seemed in no way disposedto move. 

"There, " observed the recluse, "are creatures in every way adapted tothe mode of life which they are doomed to lead. Place them in anyother, and they will be miserable. You see there the _ai_, orthree-toed sloth (the _Bradypus torquatus_). Though its arms, orfore-legs more properly, are nearly twice as long as the hinder ones, itfinds them exactly suited for climbing the trees on which it lives. Place it on the ground, and it cannot get along. It passes its life, not above, but under the branches. When moving along, it suspendsitself beneath them; when at rest, it hangs from them; and it sleepsclutching them with its strong claws, and its back hanging downwards. "

One of the creatures was hanging as our friend described; the other wason its way up the tree. It stopped on seeing us approach, and turnedits round short head, with deeply sunk eyes and a large nose, to look atus. The animals had long powerful claws on all their feet. The hairwas very coarse and shaggy, more like grass or moss than anything else. 

"The sloth suckles its young like other quadrupeds, " observed ourfriend; "and I have often seen the female, with her little one clingingto her, moving at a rate through the forest which shows that the slothdoes not properly deserve its name. See now--give a shout--and then sayif it is too sluggish to more. "

John and I shouted together, and True barked loudly. The sloths gavereproachful glances at us for disturbing them, and then began to moveaway at a speed which an active sailor running up the rigging of a shipcould scarcely equal. In a short time, slinging themselves from branchto branch, they had disappeared in the depths of the forest. 

"Let them go, " observed our friend. "You do not want a meal, or youwould find their flesh supply you with one not to be disdained. " Thelast remark was made as we again moved on. Once more we relapsed intosilence. When, however, a bird, or moth, or any creature appeared, ourguide stopped for an instant, and turning round, told us its name andhabits. We passed several curious trees, one of which he pointed outrising from the ground in numerous stalks, which then united in a thickstem, and afterwards, half-way up, bulged out in a long oval, again tonarrow, till at the summit six or eight branches, with palm-like formedleaves, spread forth, forming a graceful crown to the curious stem. Hecalled it the _Iriartes ventricosa_, or bulging-stemmed palm. Again wepassed through a grove of urucuri palms (_Attalea excelsa_). Theirsmooth columnar stems were about forty or fifty feet in height, whiletheir broad, finely pinnated leaves interlocked above, and formed archesand woven canopies of varied and peculiarly graceful shapes. High abovethem rose the taller forest trees, whose giant branches formed a secondcanopy to shade them from the glaring rays of the sun. Many of thetrees rose eighty feet without a branch, their stems perfectly straight. Huge creepers were clinging round them, sometimes stretching obliquelyfrom their summits, like the stays of a ship's mast. Others wound roundtheir trunks, like huge serpents ready to spring on their prey. Others, again twisted spirally round each other, forming vast cables of livingwood, holding fast those mighty monarchs of the forest. Some of thetrees were so covered with smaller creepers and parasitic plants thatthe parent stem was entirely concealed. The most curious trees werethose having buttresses projecting from their bases. The lower part ofsome of them extended ten feet or more from the base of the tree, reaching only five or six feet up the trunk. Others again extended tothe height of fully thirty feet, and could be seen running up like ribsto a still greater height. Some of these ribs were like wooden walls, several inches in thickness, extended from the stem, so as to allow roomfor a good-sized hut to be formed between them by merely roofing overthe top. Again, I remarked other trees ribbed and furrowed for theirwhole height. Occasionally these furrows pierced completely through thetrunks, like the narrow windows of an ancient tower. There were manywhose roots were like those of the bulging palm, but rising much higherabove the surface of the ground. The trees appeared to be standing onmany-legged pedestals, frequently so far apart from each other that wecould without difficulty walk beneath them. A multitude of pendantshung from many of the trees, some like large wild pine-apples, swingingin the air. There were climbing arums, with dark-green arrow-headshaped leaves; huge ferns shot out here and there up the stems to thetopmost branches. Many of the trees had leaves as delicately cut asthose of the graceful mimosa, while others had large palmate leaves, andothers, again, oval glossy ones. 

Now and then, as I looked upwards, I was struck with the finely-dividedfoliage strongly defined against the blue sky, here and there lighted upby the bright sunshine; while, in the region below through which wemoved, a deep gloom prevailed, adding grandeur and solemnity to thescene. There were, however, but few flowers; while the ground on whichwe walked was covered with dead leaves and rotten wood, the herbageconsisting chiefly of ferns and a few grasses and low creeping plants. 

We stopped at last to lunch, and while John and I were seated on thebranch of a fallen tree, our friend disappeared. He returned shortly, with his arms full of large bunches of a round juicy berry. "Here, " hesaid, "these will quench your thirst, and are perfectly wholesome. " Wefound the taste resembling that of grapes. He called it the _puruma_. We were too eager to find Arthur to rest long, and were once more on ourjourney. 

"From the account you gave me, I hope we may soon meet with yourfriends, " observed the recluse, "unless they have turned back in despairof finding you. "

"Little fear of that, " I observed. "I am sure Arthur will search for usas long as he has strength to move. "

Still we went on and on, and Arthur did not appear; and we asked ourcompanion whether he did not think it possible that our friends mighthave tried to make their way along the bank of the river. 

"No, " he answered, "the jungle is there too thick; and if we find signsof their having made the attempt, we shall speedily overtake them; forthough we have made a considerable circuit, they by this time couldscarcely have progressed half a mile even with the active employment ofsharp axes. "

This somewhat comforted me; for notwithstanding what the recluse said, Ifelt nearly certain that Arthur would attempt to examine the wholelength of the bank, in hopes of discovering what had become of us. Wewent on and on till we entered a denser part of the forest, where wewere compelled to use our axes before we could get through. At length Icaught sight through an opening of what looked like a heap of boughs ata distance. The recluse, quickening his pace, went on towards it. Weeagerly followed. It was a hut roughly built. Extinguished embers of afire were before it. We looked in eagerly. It was empty, but therewere leaves on the ground, and dry grass, as if people had slept there. It had been, there was little doubt, inhabited by Arthur and hiscompanions. It was just such a hut as they would have built in a hurryfor defence against the storm. But what had become of them?

"I believe you are right, " said the recluse at last, having examined thebushes round; "they certainly attempted to make their way along thebank. I trust no accident has happened to them, for in many places itis undermined by the waters, and after rain suddenly gives way. " Theseremarks somewhat alarmed me. "This is the way they have taken, at allevents, " he added; "though they have managed to creep under places wemight find some difficulty in passing. " Again he led the way, clearingthe path occasionally with his axe. We were close to the edge of theriver, though so thickly grew the tangled sipos and the underwood thatwe could only occasionally get glimpses of it. As we went along weshouted out frequently, in hopes that Arthur might hear us. 

"Your friend and his companions have laboured hard to get through thisdense jungle, " he observed, "but we shall soon overtake them. "

Still on and on we went, now and then having to turn aside, being unableotherwise to force our way onwards. We at length, on returning to theriver, found below us a sand-bank, which extended for some distancealong it. 

"Here are the marks of their feet!" exclaimed John, who had leaped downon it. "See the way they are turned! We shall soon overtake them. "

This discovery restored my spirits, for I had begun to fear that afterall, unable to get along, they had turned back. We hastened forwardalong the bank, but the sand was very soft, and walking on it was almostas fatiguing as through the forest; while the heat from the sun strikingdown on it was intense. Climbing up the bank once more, we proceededthrough the forest. We went on a short distance, when we foundourselves in more open ground--that is to say, we could get on withoutthe use of our axes. We continued shouting out, and every now and thenmaking our way to the bank as before. 

"Hark!" said John, "I hear a cry. See! there are natives coming towardsus. Yes; I believe they are the two young Indians. "

"They are Indians, " remarked our guide. "They are beckoning us. Wewill hasten on. "

In another minute we saw Duppo and Oria running towards us. They keptcrying out words that I did not understand. As soon as they saw therecluse they hurried to him, and took his hands, as if they knew himwell. 

"They tell me your young friend is ill, " he remarked. "They have lefthim a little further on, close to the water, where, it seems, unable toproceed, he fainted. They entreat me to hasten on lest he should die. They fancy I can do everything, having occasionally cured some of theirpeople of slight diseases. "

As he said this he allowed himself to be dragged forward by Duppo andhis sister, who, in their eagerness, seemed scarcely to have recognisedus. The ground over which we were proceeding was somewhat swampy, andsloped down to a small lagoon or inlet of the river. John and Ifollowed as fast as we could at the heels of our guide. Presently hestopped, and uttering an exclamation, threw aside the hands of the youngIndians and dashed forward. We followed, when, what was our horror tosee, under a grove of mimosa bushes, Arthur in the grasp of a hugeserpent, which had wound its coils round his body. I shrieked withdismay, for I thought he was dead. He moved neither hand nor foot, seemingly unconscious of what had occurred. The recluse dashed forward. John and I followed with our axes, and True went tearing boldly onbefore us. It was an anaconda. Already its huge mouth was open toseize our young companion. Without a moment's hesitation the reclusesprang at the monster, and seizing its jaws with a power I shouldscarcely have supposed he possessed, wrenched them back, and held themfast in spite of the creature's efforts to free itself. "Draw him out!"shouted the recluse; and John, seizing Arthur, drew him forth from amidthe vast coils, while I with my axe struck blow after blow at its bodyand tail. The recluse did not let go his hold, although the creature, unwinding its tail, threatened to encircle him in its coils. Now itseemed as if it would drag him to the ground, but he recovered his feet, still bending back the head till I could hear the bones cracking. Imeantime had been hacking at its tail, and at length a fortunate blowcut it off. John, placing Arthur at a little distance, came back to ourassistance, and in another minute the reptile lay dead at our feet, whenTrue flew at it and tore away furiously at its body. 

"Your young friend has had a narrow escape, " said the recluse, as heknelt down and took Arthur's hand; "he breathes, though, and is notaware of what has happened, for the anaconda must have seized him whilehe was unconscious. "

We ran to the river. The dry shells of several large nuts lay near. Inthese we brought some water, and bathed Arthur's brow and face. "Heseems unhurt by the embrace of the anaconda, " remarked the recluse, "butprobably suffered from the heat of the sun. "

After this he lifted Arthur in his arms, and bore him up the bank. Johnand I followed with a shell of water. The contrast between the hotsandy bank and the shady wood was very great. As we again applied thewater, Arthur opened his eyes. They fell on the recluse, on whom hekept them steadily fixed with a look of surprise. 

"I thought John and Harry were with me, " he murmured out. "I heardtheir voices calling as I lay fainting on the bank. "

"Yes; we are here, " John and I said, coming forward. "Duppo and hissister met us, and brought us to you. "

"I am so glad, " he said in a low voice. "I began to fear that you werereally lost, we wandered on so far without finding you. I felt ready todie too, I was so sick at heart. And your sister--is she safe?" heasked. "Oh yes; I am sure you would look more sad if she were not. "

"Yes, she is safe and well, Arthur, " I said; "and we must take you thereto be nursed, or, if it is too far to carry you, we must build a hutsomewhere near here, where we can join you. "

The stranger looked at Arthur, and murmured something we did not hear. 

"It is a long way to carry the lad, " he said; "though if I had him in myhut I would watch over him. "

"Perhaps it may be better to build a hut at the spot we proposed, andbring our sister and goods to it, " I said. 

"No; I will take the lad to mine, " answered the recluse. "You can builda hut as you proposed, and when he has recovered I will bring him toyou. "

I was very glad to hear this, because I was afraid that Arthur mightsuffer unless we could get him soon placed in a comfortable hammock, andgive him better food than we should be able to prepare without ourcooking apparatus. 

"I am ready to go on whenever you wish it, " observed Arthur, who heardthe discussion; "but I am afraid I cannot walk very fast. "

"I will carry you then, " said the recluse; "but it will be better toform a litter, on which you can rest more at your ease. We will soonget one ready. "

Duppo and Oria stood by watching us eagerly while we spoke, as if theywere anxious to know what we were saying. 

"You stay with your young friend, while your brother and I prepare thelitter, " said the recluse to me, replacing Arthur on the ground. 

I sat down by his side, supporting him. He did not allude to theanaconda, and, I suspected, was totally unconscious of the danger he hadbeen in. While the recluse and John were cutting down some poles toform the litter, Duppo and his sister collected a number of long thinsipos, showing that they understood what we proposed doing. In a shorttime the litter was completed. John and I insisted on carrying it, though we had some difficulty in persuading the recluse to allow us todo so. He spoke for some time to Duppo and his sister, who lookedgreatly disconcerted and sad. 

"I was telling them that they must go and find their people, " he said, "and that they must build a house for you on the spot you selected. They will be true friends to you, as they have ever been to me. Iadvise you to cultivate their friendship by treating them with kindnessand respect. "

The young Indians seemed very unwilling to take their departure, andlingered some time after we had wished them good-bye. John and I tookup the litter, on which Arthur had been placed. As we had already cut aroad for ourselves, we were able to proceed faster than we did whenbefore passing through the forest. We hurried on, for the sun had begunto sink towards the west, and we might be benighted before we couldreach the hermit's abode. 

We proceeded by the way we had come. After we had gone some distance, Arthur begged that he might be put down and allowed to walk. "I am sureI have strength enough, and I do not like to see you carry me, " he said. Of this, however, we would not hear, and continued on. 

At last we sat down to rest. The spot we had chosen was a pleasant one. Though shaded, it was sufficiently open to allow the breeze tocirculate through it. Round us, in most directions, was a thick jungle. We had brought some water in a shell of one of the large nuts, andafter Arthur had drunk some, we induced him to take a little food, whichseemed greatly to revive him. We were seated round the contents of ourwallets, John and I, at all events, feeling in much better spirits thanwe had been in the morning; even the recluse threw off some of hisreserve. We took the opportunity of telling him of our anxiety aboutour parents, and of the uncertainty we felt whether they had passed downthe river. He in return asked us further questions, and seemedinterested in our account. 

"I may be of use to you, " he said at length, "by being able to makeinquiries among the Indians on the river, who would probably haveobserved them should they have passed; but promises are so often broken, that I am ever unwilling to make them. Therefore, I advise you to trustto your own exertions, " he added. 

We were on the point of again taking up Arthur to proceed, when a loudsound of crashing branches was heard in the distance. It seemed as if ahurricane was sweeping through the forest. It came nearer and nearer. 

"Oh I what can it be?" cried Arthur. "Leave me and save yourselves. Itseems as if the whole forest was falling. "

The crashing increased. Boughs seemed broken off, shrubs trampled underfoot. Presently we saw, bearing down upon as, a large dark-skinnedcreature, though its form could scarcely be distinguished amid thefoliage. 

"Stand fast!" said the recluse. "It will not harm you. See! it has anenemy to contend with. "

As the creature drew nearer, I saw that it bore on its back a hugejaguar, distinguished by its spotted hide and its fierce glaring eyes. Its jaws were fixed in the creature's neck, to which it clung also withits sharp claws. 

"The animal is a tapir, " said the recluse. "I am not certain yet thoughwhether the jaguar will conquer it. See, the back of the latter isbleeding and torn from the rough branches beneath which the tapir hascarried it. "

As he spoke, the animals came close to us, the tapir making for thethick branch of a fallen tree kept up by a network of sipos, which hunglike a beam almost horizontally a few feet from the ground. The tapirdashed under it, and we could hear the crash of the jaguar's head as itcame in contact with the hard wood. Still it clung on, but its eyes hadlost their fierce glare. Blood covered the backs of the animals, andthe next moment the jaguar fell to the ground, where it lay strugglingfaintly. Twice it tried to rise, but fell back, and lay apparentlydead. 

John had lifted his rifle to fire at the tapir. "Hold!" said therecluse; "let the victor go; he deserves his liberty for having thussagaciously liberated himself from his tormentor. Would that we couldas easily get rid of ours! How eagerly we should seek the lowerbranches of the trees!" He gave one of those peculiar, sarcasticlaughs, which I observed he was apt to indulge in. 

We cautiously approached the jaguar, feeling uncertain whether it mightnot yet rise up and spring at us. John and I kept our rifles at itshead, while True went boldly up towards it. He had been an excitedspectator of the scene, and I had some difficulty in keeping him fromfollowing the tapir. The jaguar did not move. Even a poke with themuzzle of my rifle failed to arouse it. True began to tear away at itsneck; and at length we were convinced that the savage creature wasreally dead. "There let him lie, " said the recluse. "Strong as he wasa few moments ago, he will be food for the armadillos before morning. "

We again lifted up Arthur, and proceeded onwards, the recluse leadingand clearing away the branches which might have injured Arthur as wepassed between them. Of course we now required a broader passage thanwhen we came through ourselves. We took exactly the same route; ourguide never faltering for a moment, though in many places I should havehad difficulty, where the marks of our axes were not to be seen, infinding the road. Several times he offered to take my place, observingthat I might be tired; but John and I begged him to allow us to carryour young friend, as we did not like to impose the task on him. Thus wewent on till my arms and shoulders began to ache, but I determined notto give in. Arthur had not spoken for some time. I looked at his face. It was very pale, and his eyes were closed. I was afraid he hadreceived more injury from the fearful serpent than we had at firstsupposed. We hurried on, for it was evidently very important that heshould as soon as possible be attended to. We did not stop, therefore, a moment to rest. Thinking that he would not hear me, I expressed myfears to John. "Oh no, no, " said Arthur; "I do not feel so very ill. Iwish you would put me down, for I am sure you must be tired. "

I was greatly relieved when I heard him speak; at the same time hisvoice was so weak, that we were unwilling to do as he begged us. It wasgetting late, too, as we could judge by the increasing gloom in theforest. Looking up through the occasional openings in the dark-greencanopy above our heads, we could see the sky, which had now become ofthe intensest shade of blue. A troop of allouattes commenced a concert, their unmusical howlings echoing through the forest. Numerous macawspassed above us, giving vent to strange harsh cries; while wholefamilies of parrots screamed in various notes. Cicadas set up the mostpiercing chirp, becoming shriller and shriller, till it ended in a sharpscreeching whistle. Other creatures--birds, beasts, and insects--addedtheir voices to the concert, till the whole forest seemed in an uproar. As the sky grew darker, and the shades of night came thickly round us, the noises gradually ceased, but were soon succeeded by the drumming, hoohooing, and the croaking of the tree-frogs, joined occasionally bythe melancholy cries of the night-jar. "Follow me closely, " said therecluse, "and step as high as you can, not to catch your feet in thetangled roots. My eyes are well accustomed to this forest-gloom, and Iwill lead you safely. "

At length we found ourselves passing through a narrow passage betweenthick bushes, which reminded us of the approach to the recluse's hut. Emerging from it, we saw light ahead, and now reached the steps whichled to the verandah. 

"You have come on well, " he observed. "I will carry up your youngfriend. Leave the litter on the ground. "

I had to stop and assist up True, for although he made several attemptsto mount the ladder by himself, it was somewhat too high for him tosucceed. On entering the hut I found Ellen, in a state of agitation, leaning over Arthur. 

"Oh! what has happened?" she asked. "Will he die? Will he die?"

"I trust not, young lady, " remarked our host. "He wants rest andcareful nursing, and I hope in a few days will have recovered. I willnow attend to him, and afterwards leave him under your care. "

"Do not be alarmed, Miss Ellen, " whispered Arthur. "I only fainted fromthe hot sun and anxiety about you all. Now I am with you, I shall soonget well. "

"As I have by me a store of medicines, with which I have doctoredoccasionally the poor natives, I can find, I hope, some remedies whichmay help to restore your friend, " observed the recluse. "Rest is whathe chiefly now requires. "

Arthur was put into his hammock, and after he had taken a mess whichMaria had prepared, fell asleep. 

CHAPTER TWELVE. 

THE RECLUSE--MORE ADVENTURES IN THE FOREST. 

Three days passed away, and Arthur had almost recovered. We none of ushad liked to ask the recluse any questions about himself, and he hadgiven us no information as to who he was, where he had come from, or howlong he had lived in that secluded spot. He had merely told us that hewas English, and he certainly seemed from his conversation to be a manof education. He made no inquiries about us, though he listened frompoliteness, apparently, rather than from any interest he took in thematter, to the account we gave him of our adventures. One thing wasvery evident, that, though he bore with our society, he would rather beleft alone to his usual solitude. 

I awoke early the following morning, and found John already on foot. Heproposed going down to the igarape to bathe, and asked me to accompanyhim. Our host, we found, had already left the hut. Arthur was asleep, so we would not disturb him. Domingos also had gone out, and weconcluded had accompanied the recluse to obtain provisions, as he hadtaken with him a couple of baskets which usually hung on the wall at theentrance of the hut. At all events, they were not there when we lookedfor them. Taking our guns, we proceeded as we proposed. The rays ofthe rising sun came through the few openings among the tall trees, theirlight flashing on the wings of the gorgeous butterflies and still morebrilliant plumage of several humming-birds, which flitted here and thereamid the opening in the forest. 

There was a sandy spot where we thought that we could venture into thewater, without the risk of being seized by an alligator or anaconda. Wewere making our way towards it, when we caught sight of a small canoe, in which a man, whom we at once recognised as the recluse, was seated. He was paddling slowly up the igarape. We watched him for some time, till he was lost to sight among the thick foliage which lined the banks. We naturally concluded that he was merely taking a morning excursion, perhaps to fish or bathe, and expected to see him again at breakfast. 

While John took a bath, I stood by and beat the water with a long pole, to frighten away any alligator which might be near, and he performed thesame office for me--a very necessary precaution, from the number of thehuge reptiles which swarm in all the rivers. 

Much refreshed, we returned to the hut. We waited for the recluse sometime before beginning breakfast, which Maria had prepared; but he didnot appear, nor did Domingos. We all agreed that we ought no longer toimpose our society on our strange friend. The first thing to be donewas to build a canoe, but we had not found a tree in the neighbourhoodof the hut exactly suited to our purpose. 

"We may perhaps discover one near the place at which we landed the otherday, and we may get our Indian friends to help us to build a canoe, " Iobserved. "Or it is possible that they may have recovered some oftheirs, and be ready to sell one of them to us. "

"Then the sooner we find them out the better, " observed John. 

"I wonder Duppo and his sister, or some of the other Indians, have notcome here to look for us, " said Arthur. "I thought Duppo, at allevents, would have shown more regard for us. "

"Perhaps the recluse has taught them not to visit his hut without hisleave, " I remarked. "They seem to hold him in great respect. "

While I was speaking Domingos appeared at the door, with his basketsloaded with fruit, vegetables, and birds--chiefly parrots and toucans ofgay plumage. He gave a note to John, which he had received, he said, from the strange senor early in the morning. 

"I will not conceal from you that I have departed greatly from myaccustomed habits in affording you an asylum, " it ran. "If you wish ityou can remain, but I desire to be once more alone, and can find a homeelsewhere till you take your departure. I have communicated with yourIndian friends, and they will assist you in building a lodge moresuitable for you than this, in the situation you first selected. Aparty of them will appear shortly to convey your goods; and they willalso construct a montaria of a size sufficient for you to continue yourvoyage. I will, in the meantime, institute inquiries about your missingfriends, and, should I hear tidings of them, will send you word. I begthat you will return me no thanks, nor expect to see me. The life ofsolitude upon which your appearance has broken I desire to resume, andit will therefore cause me annoyance should you attempt to seek me. Accept such good wishes as a wretched outcast can venture to end. "

This strange note caused us much regret. "He is so kind and gentle, inspite of the strange way he sometimes expresses himself, that I shouldgrieve not to see him again, and thank him, " said Arthur. "Do you notthink we could leave a note, asking him to let us come and visit himbefore we go away altogether? Surely he would not refuse that. "

"I am afraid, from the tenor of his note, it would be of no use, " saidJohn; "but if you wish it you can do so; and it will show him, at allevents, that we are not ungrateful for his kindness. "

We waited all day in expectation of the arrival of the Indians, but noone appeared. John went out, and shot some birds and a couple ofmonkeys. In our rambles, which were further than we had yet been, wecame upon a cleared space containing a plantation of bananas, maize, andseveral edible roots; and, from the neat and scientific way in which theground was cultivated, we had little doubt it belonged to the stranger;indeed, from the supplies he had brought us, notwithstanding his firstremark, we had suspected that he was not without the means of supportinghimself with vegetable food. Although he had allowed us to cook theanimals we killed, we had remarked that he did not touch any of the meathimself. 

Early next morning, as I was standing on the verandah, True poked hisnose forward and began to bark. I thought he had seen some animal inthe woods, and got my gun ready to fire at it, when I caught sight of afigure emerging from the narrow path of which I have spoken, and, greatly to my satisfaction, I recognised Duppo. As soon as he saw us heran forward. I went down to meet him. He took my hand, and, by hisaction, and the gleam of satisfaction which passed over his impassivecountenance, showed the satisfaction he felt at again being with us. Hethen made signs that others were coming, and soon afterwards a party ofeight Indians, with his father at their head, made their appearance. Maono gravely saluted John and I, and signified that his men had come toconvey our property to another place. Duppo asked whether any of uswould like to return in the canoe. We agreed that it would be a goodplan for Arthur and Ellen to do so. 

"Oh, let me go through the woods, " exclaimed Ellen; "I should like tosee the country. "

"But then, who is to look after Arthur? He is not fit to walk so faryet, " said John. 

"Oh, then I will go and take care of him, " answered Ellen. 

It was finally arranged that Maono and Duppo should paddle the canoe, and look after Ellen and Arthur. They formed a sufficiently largefreight for the little craft. The Indians now shouldered our goods, each man taking a load twice as heavy as any one of us could havecarried, although much less than our Napo peons had conveyed down to theriver. Before starting, Arthur wrote the note he had proposed to therecluse, and left it on the table. We could not help feeling sorry atleaving that shady little retreat. At the same time, there was nochance while remaining there of obtaining tidings of our family. Havinghanded Ellen and Arthur into the canoe, with Nimble, and Ellen's otherpets, we watched her for some minutes as Maono paddled her along theshore, which presented as far as we could see one wall of tall trees ofvaried forms rising almost from the water. "We shall meet again soon, "exclaimed Ellen as she waved an adieu. "Who knows what adventures weshall have to recount to each other!" We could not tear ourselves fromthe spot while the canoe remained in sight. As soon as she disappearedwe hurried after the Indians. Domingos and Maria had gone on with them. We walked on rapidly, fully expecting, as they had loads, that weshould quickly overtake them. John was a little ahead of me, whensuddenly I saw him take a tremendous leap along the path. I waswondering what sudden impulse had seized him, when I heard him exclaim, "Look out, Harry I see that creature;" and there I observed stretchedacross the path, a big ugly-looking serpent. I sprang back, holdingTrue, who would have unhesitatingly dashed at the dangerous reptile. Itwas nearly six feet in length, almost as thick as a man's leg, of a deepbrown above, pale yellow streaks forming a continued series oflozenge-shaped marks down the back, growing less and less distinct asthey descended the sides, while it had a thin neck, and a huge flathead, covered with small scales. 

As we had our guns ready, we did not fear it. It seemed disinclined tomove, and, had it not lifted up its tail, we might have supposed itdead. We soon recognised, by the shape of the point, the fearfulrattlesnake;--fearful it would be from its venomous bite, had not therattle been fixed to it to give notice of its approach. We threw sticksat it, but still it did not seem inclined to move. Again it lifted upits horny tail, and shook its rattle. "Take care, " cried John; "keepaway. " The serpent had begun to glide over the ground, now looking atone of us, now at the other, as if undecided at which it should dart. Itook John's advice, and quickly retreated. He fired, and shattered thereptile's head. As it still moved slowly, I finished it with a blow ofmy stick. 

As it would have been inconvenient to drag after us, we cut off thetail, that we might examine it at leisure. We found that the rattle wasplaced with the broad part perpendicular to the body. The last jointwas fastened to the last vertebra of the tail by means of a thickmuscle, as well as by the membranes which united it to the skin. Theremaining joints were so many extraneous bodies, as it were, unconnectedwith the tail, except by the curious way in which they were fitted intoeach other. It is said that these bony rings or rattles increase innumber with the age of the animal, and on each casting of the skin itacquires an additional one. The tip of every uppermost bone runs withintwo of the bones below it. By this means they not only move together, but also multiply the sound, as each bone hit against two others at thesame time. 

They are said only to bite when provoked or when they kill their prey. For this purpose they are provided with two kinds of teeth, --thesmaller, which are placed in each jaw, and serve to catch and retaintheir food: and the fangs, or poisonous teeth, which are placed withoutthe upper jaw. They live chiefly upon birds and small animals. It issaid that when the piercing eye of the rattlesnake is fixed on an animalor bird they are so terrified and astonished that they are unable toescape. Birds, as if entranced, unwillingly keeping their eyes fixed onthose of the reptile, have been seen to drop into its mouth. Smalleranimals fall from the trees and actually run into the jaws open toreceive them. Fatal as is the bite of the rattlesnake to mostcreatures, the peccary attacks and eats the reptile without theslightest hesitation; as, indeed, do ordinary hogs, --and even whenbitten they do not suffer in the slightest degree. 

This encounter with the rattlesnake having delayed us for a little time, we hurried on as rapidly as we could to overtake our companions. We hadgone some distance, and still had not come up with them. I began to beafraid that we had turned aside from the right path. In some placeseven our eyes had distinguished the marks of those who had gone beforeus. We had now lost sight of them altogether, and as the wood wastolerably open, and the axes had not been used, we could only judge bythe direction of the sun how to proceed. 

We went on for some time, still believing ourselves in the rightdirection; but at last, when we expected to find the marks of the axeswhich we had before made, we could discover none. We searched about--now on one side, now on the other. The forest, though dense, was yetsufficiently open to enable us to make our way in a tolerably directline. Now and then we had to turn aside to avoid the thick mass ofcreepers or the fallen trunk of some huge tree. We shouted frequently, hoping that Domingos and the Indians might hear us. Then John suggestedthat they, finding it an easy matter to follow the right track, did notsuppose we could lose it. At last we grew tired of shouting, and agreedthat we should probably fall in with the proper track by incliningsomewhat to the right; and I had so much faith also in True's sagacitythat I had hopes he would find it. However, I gave him more credit thanhe deserved. He was always happy in the woods, like a knight-errant insearch of adventures, plenty of which he was indeed likely to meet with. 

Still in the belief that we were not far wrong in our course, we walkedbriskly forward. We had gone some distance, when True made towards thedecayed trunk of a huge tree, and began barking violently. While wewere still at a considerable distance, a large hairy creature rose upbefore us. True stood his ground bravely, rushing now on one side, nowon the other, of the animal. It had an enormous bushy tail, curled upsomething like that of a squirrel, but with a great deal more hair, andlooked fully eight feet in length. As we drew nearer we saw that it hadalso an extraordinary long snout. It seemed in no degree afraid ofTrue, and he evidently considered it a formidable antagonist. Presentlyit lifted itself up on its hind legs, when True sprang back just in timeto avoid a gripe of its claws. Still the creature, undaunted by ourappearance, made at him, when, seeing that he was really in danger, Johnand I rushed forward. We then discovered the creature to be a hugeant-eater, which, though it had no teeth, was armed with formidableclaws, with which it would inevitably have killed my brave dog had itcaught him. A shot in the head from John's rifle laid it dead. 

It was covered with long hair, the prevailing colour being that of darkgrey, with a broad band of black running from the neck downwards on eachside of the body. It lives entirely on ants; and on opening its mouthwe found that it could not provide itself with other food, as it wasentirely destitute of teeth. Its claws, which were long, sharp, pointed, and trenchant, were its only implements of defence. Its hinderclaws were short and weak; but the front ones were powerful, and soformed that anything at which it seizes can never hope to escape. Theobject of its powerful crooked claws is to enable it to open theant-hills, on the inhabitants of which it feeds. It then draws itslong, flexible tongue, covered with a glutinous saliva, over the swarmsof insects who hurry forth to defend their dwelling. 

The scientific name of this great ant-eater is _Myrmecophaga jubata_. There are, however, several smaller ant-eaters, which are arborial--thatis, have their habitations in trees. Some are only ten inches long. One species is clothed with a greyish-yellow silky hair; another is of adingy brown colour. They are somewhat similar in their habits to thesloth; and as they are seen clinging with their claws to the trees, ormoving sluggishly along, they are easily mistaken for that animal, towhich, indeed, they are allied. Some are nocturnal, others are seenmoving about in the daytime. 

True seemed to be aware of the narrow escape he had had from theformidable talons of the ant-eater, for after this encounter he keptclose behind my heels. I hoped that he had received a useful lesson, and would attack no animal unless at my command, or he might do so someday when no friend was at hand to come to his rescue. 

We had been walking on after this occurrence for some time in silence, when True pricked up his ears and began to steal forward. I could, however, see nothing. The undergrowth and masses of sipos were here ofconsiderable denseness. Still, as he advanced, we followed him. Presently the forest became a little more open, when we caught sight ofa creature with a long tail and a tawny hide with dark marks. "It is ajaguar, " I whispered to John. "It is watching some animal. In a momentwe shall see it make its spring. " It was so intent on some objectbefore it, that it did not discover our approach. On it went with thestealthy pace of a cat about to pounce on an unwary bird or mouse. Itdid not make the slightest noise, carefully avoiding every branch in itsway. True, after his late adventure with the ant-eater, was lessdisposed than usual to seek an encounter, and I was therefore able tokeep him from dashing forward as he otherwise would have done. 

"The creature is about to pounce on some deer he sees feeding in thethicket, " whispered John; "or perhaps he espies a tapir, and hopes tobring it to the ground. "

Unconscious of our approach, the savage animal crept on and on, nowputting one foot slowly forward, now the other. Now it stopped, thenadvanced more quickly. At length it stopped for a moment, and then madeone rapid bound forward. A cry reached our ears. "That is a humanvoice!" exclaimed John; "some unfortunate native caught sleeping. " Hefired as he spoke, for we could still see the back of the animal throughthe thick underwood. The jaguar bounded up as it received the wound, and the next moment the tall figure of the recluse appeared, bleeding atthe shoulder, but otherwise apparently uninjured. 

"What, my young friends, " he exclaimed, "brought you here? You havesaved my life, at all events. "

"We chanced to lose our way, and are thankful we came up in time to saveyou from that savage brute. "

"Chance!" exclaimed the recluse. "It is the very point I wasconsidering at the moment;" and he showed us a book in his hand. "Yourarrival proves to me that there is no such thing as chance. I wasreading at the moment, lost in thought, or I should not have been soeasily surprised. "

John then told him how we had waited to see Ellen and our young friendoff; and then, in attempting to follow our companions, had lost our way. 

"We should have got thus far sooner had we not been delayed by an attackwhich a great ant-eater made on our dog. "

"If you have lost your way, you will wish to find it, " said the recluse. "I will put you right, and as we go along, we can speak on the point Imentioned. You have some distance to go, for you should know that youhave come almost at right angles to the route you intended to take. Nomatter; I know this forest, and can lead you by a direct course to thepoint you wish to gain. But I must ask you before we move forward tobind up my shoulder. Here, take this handkerchief. You need not beafraid of hurting me. "

Saying this, he resumed his seat on the log, and John, under hisdirections, secured the handkerchief over the lacerated limb. He borethe process with perfect composure, deep as were the wounds formed bythe jaguar's claws. 

"What has occurred has convinced me that chance does not exist, " hesaid, resuming his remarks as we walked along. "You delayed some time, you tell me, in watching your friends embark; then, losing your way, youwere detained by the ant-eater, and thus arrived at the very moment tosave my life. There was no chance in that. Had you been sooner youwould have passed me by, for I sat so occupied in reading, and ensconcedamong the roots of the trees, that I should not have heard you. Had youdelayed longer, the fierce jaguar would have seized me, and my lifewould have been sacrificed. No, I say again, there is no such thing aschance. He who rules the world ordered each event which has occurred, and directed your steps hither. It is a happy and comforting creed toknow that One more powerful than ourselves takes care of us. Till themoment the jaguar's sharp claw touched my shoulder, I had doubted this. The author whose book I hold doubts it also, and I was arguing the pointwith him. Your arrival decided the question. "

While he was speaking I missed True, and now heard him bark violently. I ran back, and found the jaguar we thought had been killed rising toits feet. It was snarling fiercely at the brave dog, and in anothermoment would have sprung upon him. True stood prepared for theencounter, watching the creature's glaring eyes. I saw the danger of myfaithful friend and fired at the head of the savage animal. My shot wasmore effectual than John's. It fell back dead. John and the reclusecame hurrying up. 

"We should never leave a treacherous foe behind us, " observed thelatter. "However, he is harmless now. Come on. You have a long walkbefore you; though, for myself, I can find a lodging in the forest, suited to my taste, whenever I please. "

The recluse, as in our former walk, led the way. For a considerabledistance he went on without again speaking. There was much that wasstrange about him, yet his mind seemed perfectly clear, and I could nothelp hoping that we might be the means of persuading him to return tocivilised society. He walked forward so rapidly that we sometimes haddifficulty in keeping up with him; and I remarked, more than I had donebefore, his strange appearance, as he flourished his sharp axe, nowstriking on one side, now on the other, at the sipos and vines whichinterfered with his progress. He was dressed merely in a coarse cottonshirt and light trousers secured round the waist by a sash, while abroad-brimmed straw hat sheltered his head. His complexion was burnedalmost red; his features were thin, and his eyes sunken; but no tinge ofgrey could be perceived in his hair, which hung wild and streaming overhis shoulders. 

True, after going on for some time patiently, began to hunt about oneither side according to his custom. Presently he gave forth one of hisloud cheery barks, and off he bounded after a creature which had comeout of the hollow of a tree. Calling to John, I made chase, getting mygun ready to fire. The ground just there was bare, and I caught sightof an animal the size of a small pig, but its whole back and head werecovered with scales. In spite of its awkward appearance, it made goodplay over the ground, and even True, with all his activity, couldscarcely keep up with it. It turned its head here and there, lookingapparently for a hole in which to seek shelter. He, however, madedesperate efforts to overtake it. The base of a large tree impeded itsprogress, when, just as he was about to spring on it, it suddenly coileditself up into a round ball. True kept springing round and round it, wishing to get hold of the creature, but evidently finding no vulnerablepart. I ran forward and seized it, when, just as I got hold of theball, I received so severe a dig in my legs from a pair of powerfulclaws which it suddenly projected, that I was glad to throw it downagain. 

"You have got hold of an armadillo, " said the recluse, who with John atthat moment arrived. "If you want a dinner, or wish to make anacceptable present to your Indian friends, you may kill and carry itwith you; but if not, let the creature go. For my part, I delight toallow the beasts of the forest to roam at large, and enjoy the existencewhich their Maker has given them. The productions of the ground affordme sufficient food to support life, and more I do not require. Yet Iacknowledge that unless animals were allowed to prey on each other, thespecies would soon become so numerous that the teeming earth itselfcould no longer support them: therefore man, as he has the power, so, Iown, he has the right to supply himself with food which suits his taste. I speak, therefore, only as regards my own feelings. "

While he was speaking he seemed to forget that he had just before beenin a hurry to proceed on our way, and stood with his arms folded, gazingat the armadillo. The creature, finding itself unmolested, for evenTrue stood at a respectful distance, uncoiled itself, and I then had anopportunity of observing its curious construction. Its whole back wascovered with a coat of scaly armour of a bony-looking substance, inseveral parts. On the head was an oval plate, beneath which could beseen a pair of small eyes, winking, as if annoyed by the sunlight. Overthe shoulders was a large buckler, and a similar one covered thehaunches; while between these solid portions could be seen a series ofshelly zones, arranged in such a manner as to accommodate this coat ofmail to the back and body. The entire tail was shielded by a series ofcalcareous rings, which made it perfectly flexible. The interiorsurface, as well as the lower part of the body, was covered with coarsescattered hairs, of which some were seen to issue forth between thejoints of the armour. It had a pointed snout, long ears, short, thicklimbs, and stout claws. 

"There are several species of the armadillo, " observed our friend. "Thecreature before us is the _Dasypus sexcinctus_. It is a burrowinganimal, and so rapidly can it dig a hole, that when chased it has oftenits way made under ground before the hunter can reach it. Its foodconsists of roots, fruits, and every variety of soft vegetablesubstances; but it also devours carrion and flesh of all sorts, as wellas worms, lizards, ants, and birds which build their nests on theground. In some parts of the continent the natives cook it in itsshell, and esteem it a great delicacy. "

Whilst our friend was giving us this account, the armadillo, suddenlystarting forward, ran off at a great rate into the forest, True madechase, but I called him back, and he came willingly, apparentlyconvinced that he should be unable to overtake the creature, oroverpower it if he did. 

We were once more proceeding on our way. The day was drawing to aclose, and yet we had not overtaken our companions. "You are scarcelyaware of the distance you were from the right road, " observed therecluse. "When once a person gets from the direct path, he knows notwhither he may wander. It may be a lesson to you. I have learned itfrom bitter experience. " He sighed deeply as he spoke. At length wesaw the bright glare of a fire between the trees. "You will find yourfriends there, " said the recluse, "and, directed by that, can now goon. "

"But surely you are going with us to the camp?" said John. 

"No; I shall seek a resting-place in the forest, " he answered. "I amtoo much accustomed to solitude to object to be alone, even though Ihave no sheltering roof over my head. Farewell! I know not whether weshall meet again, but I would once more give you the assurance that I donot forget that you were the means of saving my life; and yet I know notwhy I should set value upon it. "

In vain John and I entreated him to come on. Not another step furtherwould he advance; and he cut us short by turning hastily round andstalking off into the depths of the forest, while we hurried on towardsthe camp. 

"Oh, there they are! there they are!" exclaimed Ellen, running forwardto meet us as we appeared. "I have been so anxious about you, and sohas Arthur! Domingos told us he was sure you would come up soon, but Icould not help dreading that some accident had happened. "

We had to confess that we had lost our way, and that, had it not beenfor the stranger, we should still be wandering in the forest. 

"And why would he not come to the camp?" she asked. "Arthur is longingto see him again. Duppo has been telling him of the way in which herescued him from the anaconda. I was at last obliged to tell him whatoccurred. "

Arthur now came up. "I must thank him!" he exclaimed. "I will run andovertake him. "

We had great difficulty in persuading Arthur of the hopelessness offinding him, and that he would be more likely to lose his own way in theforest. 

The Indians had been busily employed in putting up huts for ouraccommodation. Ellen and Maria, with their pets, had already possessionof theirs. We hung up our hammocks in the more open shed which had beenprepared for us. 

CHAPTER THIRTEEN. 

OUR NEW RESTING-PLACE, AND THE ADVENTURES WHICH BEFEL US THERE. 

Next morning Maono and his people began erecting a more substantialhabitation for us, signifying that his white friend, meaning therecluse, had desired him to do so. It was built on the spot we hadpreviously selected near the igarape, and overlooking the main river. Anumber of stout poles were first driven into the ground, and to theirtops others were joined and united in the centre, forming a conicalroof, the eaves projecting below to a considerable distance. Palm-leaves were then fastened, much in the fashion I have beforedescribed, over the roof, layer above layer, till a considerablethickness was attained. The walls were formed by interweaving siposbetween the uprights, a space being left for ventilation. We had thus asubstantial hut erected, which it would have taken us, unaided, manydays to build. While the Indians were working outside, John and I, withDomingos, formed a partition in the interior, to serve as a room forEllen and Maria. "We must manufacture a table and some stools, and thenour abode will be complete, " said John. Some small palms which grewnear were split with wedges into planks. Out of these we formed, withthe assistance of Domingos, a table, and as many rough stools as werequired. 

When all was complete, Maono begged by signs to know whether we weresatisfied. We assured him that we were better accommodated than weexpected to be. He seemed highly pleased, and still more so when wepresented him and his men each with a piece of cloth, he having threetimes as much as the others. We gave him also an axe, a knife, andseveral other articles, besides a number of beads, which we let himunderstand were for his wife and daughter. He, however, seemed ratherto scorn the idea of their being thus adorned in a way superior tohimself, it being, as we observed, the custom of most Amazonian tribesfor the men to wear more ornaments than the women. We understood thathis tribe had settled a short way off, in a secluded part of the forest, where they might be less likely to be attacked by their enemies theMajeronas. 

We now tried to make Maono understand that we were anxious to have alarge canoe built, in which we might proceed down the river. He repliedthat he would gladly help us, but that he must return to his own people, as they had first to be settled in their new location. To this, ofcourse, we could not object, but we begged him to return as soon aspossible to assist us in our work. As soon as he was gone we agreed tohold a consultation as to what we should next do. We took our seatsunder the verandah in front of our new abode, John acting as president, Ellen, Arthur, Domingos, and I ranging ourselves round him. True, Nimble, and Toby stood by the side of Maria, as spectators, the latteralmost as much interested apparently as she was in the discussion, whilePoll and Niger stood perched on the eaves above us. The question waswhether we should devote all our energies to constructing a large canoe, or make excursions in the small one we already possessed, as we beforeproposed? We requested Ellen, not only as the lady, but the youngest ofthe party, to speak first. She was decidedly of opinion that it wouldbe better to build the large canoe, as she was sure that our parents hadalready proceeded further down the river. 

"But what reasons have you for so thinking?" asked John. 

Ellen was silent. "Pray do not insist upon my giving my reasons, " shesaid at last. "I can only say that I feel sure they have gone furtherdown. If they had not, I think we should have found them before this;indeed, my heart tells me that we shall find them before long if wecontinue our course down the river. "

John smiled. "Those are indeed very lady-like reasons, " he observed. "However, we will record your opinion; and now wish we to know whatArthur has to say. "

"I should like to agree with Miss Ellen, but at the same time cannotfeel sure of a matter of which we have no evidence, " said Arthur. "Wehave not examined the banks up the stream or on the opposite side. Although we have good reasons for supposing that, after quitting theirfirst location, your family proceeded downwards, as the labour ofpaddling against the current is very great, yet, as they may havestopped at some intermediate spot, I advise that we examine the banks onboth sides of the river between this place and that where we expected tofind them. "

"Now, Harry, what do you say?" asked John. 

"I agree with Arthur, " I replied. "As we came down a considerabledistance at night, I say we should examine the shores we then passed. As the greater part of our voyage was performed by daylight, I do notthink it at all likely we could have missed them had they been sailingup to meet us. I also advise that we make the excursion we proposed inthe small canoe in the first place, while our Indian friends areconstructing the larger one. "

Domingos had been standing with his arms folded, as was his custom, watching our countenances. He had perfectly understood what was said. Taking off his hat, he made a bow to Ellen, saying, "I agree with thesenora. I feel sure that my honoured master would desire to place hisfamily in safety at a distance from the savage tribe who attacked him, and that, therefore, he has moved further down the river, probably toone of the nearest Portuguese settlements on the banks. But knowing hisaffection for you, his children, I believe he would have sent backmessengers to meet us should he have been unable to return himself. Itis they, in my opinion, we should look out for; probably, indeed, theyhave already passed us. I am sorry that we did not leave some signalsat our stopping-places, which might show them where we have been, andlead them to us. Then, again, as Senor Fiel might not have been able toprocure messengers at once, and as the voyage up the stream islaborious, they may not have got as far as this. Thus we are right inremaining at this spot, whence we can see them should they approach. Itherefore hold to the opinion that the large canoe should be constructedwithout delay, in which we might continue our voyage, but that we shouldkeep a look-out both by day and night, lest our friends might pass bywithout observing us. "

"It becomes, then, my duty as president to give the casting vote in thisimportant matter, " observed John, "as the members of the council aredivided in opinion. Although the opinion expressed by Ellen andDomingos has probability on its side, yet it must be consideredtheoretical; while that given by Arthur and Harry is undoubtedly of amore practical character. Should we on exploring the shores higher upfind no traces of our relatives, we shall then proceed with moreconfidence on our voyage, buoyed up with the hope of overtaking them. In the other ease we might be sailing on with the depressingconsciousness that, not having searched for them thoroughly, we might beleaving them behind. I therefore decide that, while our Indian friendsare engaged in building a canoe, in which work, from our inexperience, we cannot render them any effectual aid, we employ the interval inmaking the exploring expeditions we proposed. The point to be settledis, how are we to carry out that plan?"

"The small canoe will not convey more than three people at the utmost, "I observed. "I should like to go with Arthur and Duppo, as I at firstsuggested; while you, John, stay to take care of Ellen, and superintendthe building of the canoe. You will be better able than any of us tokeep the Indians to their work, and guard Ellen, should any danger occurfrom hostile Indians, or of any other description. "

"I should certainly have liked to have gone myself, " said John. "Butyour argument is a strong one. I am sure I can trust you and Arthur, and Duppo, from his acuteness, will be of great assistance to you; andyet I do not like you to run the risk of the dangers to which you may beexposed. "

"It would not be worse for us than for you, " remarked Arthur. "I wouldwillingly stay to defend Miss Ellen; but I am afraid I should not managethe Indians, or act as you would do in an emergency. "

I saw that John put considerable restraint on himself when he finallyagreed to let us go. Yet as we were as well able to manage the canoe ashe was, and much lighter, we were better suited to form its crew. Atthe same time, it seemed evident that Ellen would be safer under theprotection of two grown-up men, than of lads like Arthur and I. It wasnecessary, however, to wait to arrange provisions for our expedition, and obtain also the advice of Maono on the subject. We much regrettedthat we could not communicate with the recluse, as he would haveinterpreted for us, and would also have given us his advice. 

While taking a paddle in our canoe, we agreed that she requiredconsiderable alterations to fit her for our intended expedition. Ourfirst task was to haul her up, and strengthen her bulwarks; for it willbe remembered that they were before put up in a hurried manner, and werealready almost torn off. 

We were thus engaged in front of the hut when we heard Ellen exclaim, "There is some one coming. " And looking through an opening in theforest, I saw Duppo and his sister approaching, carrying baskets ontheir backs. Arthur and I ran forward to meet them. They made signsthat they had brought a present of farinha to the young white lady, asthey designated Ellen; not by words, however, but by putting a piece ofwhite bark on their own brown cheeks. We then conducted them to Ellen. 

"I am so glad to see you, " she said, taking Oria's hand; and though theIndian girl could not understand the words, she clearly comprehended theexpression of my young sister's countenance, which beamed with pleasure. Maria grinned from ear to ear, not at all jealous of the attention heryoung mistress paid the pretty native; and all three were soon seated infront of the hut, talking together in the universal language of signs. It was extraordinary how well they seemed to understand each other. Oria's garments were certainly somewhat scanty; but in a short timeMaria ran into the hut, and quickly returned with a petticoat and scarf, part of Ellen's wardrobe. Nothing could exceed the delight of the youngsavage (for so I may properly call her) when her white and black sistersrobed her in these garments. Pretty as was her countenance, it usuallywanted animation; but on this occasion it brightened up with pleasure. The clothes seemed at once to put her more on an equality with hercompanions. When they had talked for a time, Ellen called out her petsto introduce them to Oria, who signified that if it would gratify hernew friend she would undertake to obtain many more. 

"Oh, yes, yes!" exclaimed Ellen. "I should so like to have some ofthose beautiful little humming-birds which have been flying about herelately, feeding on the gay-coloured flowers growing on the open groundaround, or hanging by their long tendrils from the trees. "

Neither Duppo nor Oria could understand these remarks, but they did thesigns which accompanied them; and they both answered that they hopedsoon to obtain for her what she wished. 

We then took Duppo down to the canoe, and I tried to explain to him ourintention of making a voyage in her. This he understood very clearly;indeed, the recluse had, we suspected, already intimated to the Indiansour anxiety about our missing friends. Duppo was of great assistance tous in repairing the canoe and putting on fresh bulwarks. We determined, in addition to the paddles, to have a mast and sail. We had some lightcotton among our goods, which would answer the purpose of the sail, andcould be more easily handled, and would therefore be less dangerous, than a mat sail. 

We found that Oria had taken the invitation as it was intended, and hadcome to remain with Ellen. 

"I am so glad, " said our sister, when she discovered this. "I shall nowbe able to teach her English; and, I am sure, we shall be greatfriends. "

"But would you not also be able to teach her about the God of theEnglish?" said Arthur, in a low voice. "That is of more consequence. She now knows nothing of the God of mercy, love, and truth. From what Ican learn, these poor savages are fearfully ignorant. "

"Oh yes, " said Ellen, looking up. "I shall indeed be glad to do that. I am so thankful to you, Arthur, for reminding me. "

"We should remember that that Saviour who died for us died for themalso, " said Arthur; "and it is our duty to make known that glorioustruth to them. "

"It will be a hard task though, I fear, " remarked Ellen, "as Oria doesnot yet know a word of English; and though we may make signs to show herwhat we want her to do, I do not see how we can speak of religion untilshe understands our language. "

"The more necessity then for teaching her without delay, " observedArthur. "She seems very intelligent; and if we lose no opportunity ofinstructing her, I hope she may soon acquire sufficient knowledge toreceive the more simple truths, which, after all, are the mostimportant. "

"Then I will begin at once, " said Ellen. "She has already been tryingto repeat words after me; and I hope before the end of the day to havetaught her some more. "

Ellen was in earnest. Our dear little sister, though very quiet andgentle, had a determined, energetic spirit. It was very interesting tosee her labouring patiently to teach the young Indian girl. Duppo hadalready learned a good many words, and seemed to understand many thingswe said to him. We scarcely ever had to repeat the name of a thing morethan two or three times for him to remember it; and he would run withalacrity to fetch whatever we asked for. 

We had much more trouble in teaching manners to our dumb companions; forin spite of Master Nimble's general docility, he was constantly playingsome trick, or getting into scrapes of all sorts. One day he was seenby Duppo trying to pull the feathers out of Niger's head; and on anotheroccasion he was discovered in an attempt to pluck poor Poll, in spite ofher determined efforts to escape from his paws. He often sorely triedTrue's good-temper; while if a pot or pan was left uncovered, he wassure to have his fingers in it, to examine whether its contents were tohis liking. 

We were working at the canoe one morning when I heard Maria's voicecalling to us. 

"See what it is she wants, Harry, " said John, who was busily employed. 

I ran up to the hut. 

"O Senor Harry!" exclaimed Maria, "Nimble has scampered off into thewoods, and enticed Toby to go with him; and Senora Ellen has run afterthem, and I do not know what may happen if there is no one near toprotect her. "

I took up my gun on hearing this, and followed Ellen, whose dress Icaught a glimpse of among the trees. Presently I saw her, as I gotnearer, throw up her hands, as if she had seen some object which hadalarmed her. I hurried on. 

"What is it, Ellen?" I shouted out. 

"Oh, look there, Harry!" she exclaimed. "They will catch Nimble andToby. "

I sprang to her side, and then saw, just beyond a thicket of ferns, twohuge pumas, which were on the point of springing up a tree, among whosebranches were clinging our two pets, Nimble and Toby, their teethchattering with terror, while their alarm seemed almost to haveparalysed them. In another instant they would have been in the clutchesof the pumas. I was more concerned about my dear little sister's safetythan for that of her monkeys. At first I thought of telling her to runback to the hut; but then it flashed across me that the pumas might seeher and follow. So I exclaimed, "Get behind me, Ellen; and we willshout together, and try and frighten the beasts. That will, at allevents, bring John to our help. "

We shouted at the top of our voices. I certainly never shouted louder. Meantime I raised my gun, to be ready to fire should the pumas threatento attack us or persist in following our pets. Scarcely had our voicesceased, when I heard True's bark, as he came dashing through the wood. The pumas had not till then discovered us, so eagerly had they beenwatching the monkeys. They turned their heads for a moment. Nimbletook the opportunity of swinging himself out of their reach. Ellenshrieked, for she thought they were going to spring at us. I fired atthe nearest, while True dashed boldly up towards the other. My bullettook effect, and the powerful brute rolled over, dead. The sound of theshot startled its companion; and, fortunately for gallant little True, it turned tail, and bounded away through the forest, --John, who had beenhurrying up, getting a distant shot as it disappeared among the trees. Arthur and the two Indians followed John, greatly alarmed at our shoutsand the sound of the firearms. 

Nimble and Toby, still chattering with fear, came down from their loftyretreat when we called them, and, looking very humble and penitent, followed Ellen to the hut; while we, calling Domingos to our assistance, set to work to skin the puma. The meat we cooked and found very likeveal, and Domingos managed to dress the skin sufficiently to preserveit. 

Duppo had clearly understood Ellen's wish to have some humming-birdscaught alive. We were always up at daybreak, to enjoy the cool air ofthe morning. He had gone out when the first streaks of dawn appeared inthe eastern sky, over the cold grey line of the river. When we could doso with safety, we never failed to take a bath. We had just come out ofthe water, and were dressing, when Duppo ran up, and signed to us tofollow him. We called Ellen as we passed the hut, and all together wenttowards the igarape, where, in a more open space than usual, a number ofgraceful fuschia-looking flowers, as well as others of different forms, hung suspended from long tendrils, intertwined with the branches of thetrees. Into this spot the rising sun poured its glorious beams withfull brilliancy. We cautiously advanced, when the space before usseemed suddenly filled with the most beautiful sparking gems of variedcolours, floating here and there in the bright sunlight. I couldscarcely believe that the creatures before us belonged to the featheredtribes, so brilliant were their hues, so rapid their movements. Sometimes they vanished from sight, as they darted with inconceivablerapidity from branch to branch. Now one might be seen for an instanthovering over a flower, its wings looking like two grey filmy fansexpanded at its sides. Then we could see another dip its long slenderbill into the cup of an upright flower. Now one would come beneath asuspended blossom. Sometimes one of the little creatures would dart offinto the air, to catch some insect invisible to the eye; and we couldonly judge of what it was about by its peculiar movements. As wewatched, a tiny bird would perch on a slender twig, and rest there for afew seconds, thus giving us an opportunity of examining its beauties. Ellen could scarcely restrain her delight and admiration at thespectacle; for though we had often seen humming-birds before, we hadnever beheld them to such advantage. The little creature we saw had acrest on the top of its head of a peculiarly rich chestnut, or ruddytint. The upper surface of the body was of a bronzed green hue, and abroad band of white crossed the lower part, but the wings werepurple-black. The chief part of the tail was chestnut. The foreheadand throat were also of the same rich hue. On either side of the neckprojected a snow-white plume, tipped with the most resplendent metallicgreen. The effect of these beautiful colours may be imagined as thebirds flew rapidly to and fro, or perched on a spray, like the one Ihave described. Another little creature, very similar to it, was to beseen flying about above the heads of the others. It also had a crest, which was of the same colour as the others, but of a somewhat lightertint; while at the base of each feather, as we afterwards observed, wasa round spot of bronzed green, looking like a gem in a dark setting. The crest, which was constantly spread out, appeared very like that of apeacock's tail, though, as Ellen observed, it would be a very littlepeacock to have such a tail. On searching in our book, we found thatthe first of these humming-birds we had remarked was a tufted coquette(_Lophornis ornatus_), while the other, which we seldom saw afterwards, was the spangled coquette. These birds, with several others of similarhabits and formation, are classed separately from the _Trochilidae_, andbelong to the genus _Phaethornis_. They are remarkable for the longpointed feathers of their tails, the two central ones being far longerthan the rest. We met with a greater number of them than of any othergenus on the banks of the Amazon. 

After we had enjoyed the spectacle for some time, Duppo begged us tocome a little further, when he showed us a beautiful little nest, secured to the innermost point of a palm-leaf. On the top of the leaf alittle spangled coquette was watching her eggs within. Unlike the nestsof the _Trochilidae_, which are saucer-shaped, it was of a long, funnel-like form, broad at the top and tapering towards the lower part. The outside, which was composed of small leaves and moss, had a somewhatrugged appearance; but the inside, as we had reason to know, was softand delicate in the extreme, being thickly lined with silk-cotton fromthe fruit of the sumauma-tree. Below the first was perched a tuftedcoquette, looking as boldly at us as any town sparrow. The littlecreatures, indeed, kept hovering about; and one came within a few feetof our faces, as much as to ask how we dared to intrude on its domains. More pugnacious or brave little beings do not exist among the featheredtribes. 

I cannot hope to describe with any degree of accuracy the numbers ofbeautiful humming-birds we met with in different places; for though someare migratory, the larger proportion strictly inhabit certainlocalities, and are seldom met with, we were told, in any other. Thehumming-birds of the Andes, of which there are a great variety, neverdescend into the plains; nor do those of the plains attempt to intrudeon the domains of their mountain relatives. Although they may live onthe nectar of flowers, they have no objection to the tiny insects theyfind among their petals, or which fly through the air, while many devouras titbits the minute spiders which weave their gossamer webs among thetall grass or shrubs. 

"I should not think that any human being could catch one of those littlecreatures, " said Ellen, as we returned homewards. "The sharpest-eyedsportsman would find it difficult to hit one with his fowling-piece. "

"He would certainly blow it to pieces, " observed John, "if he made theattempt. They are shot, however, with sand; and perhaps our youngIndian friend himself will find the means of shooting one, if he cannotcapture it in some other way. "

"Oh, I would not have one shot for the world!" exclaimed Ellen. "Praylet him understand that he must do nothing of the sort for my sake. "

While we were at breakfast, Duppo, who had disappeared, came running upwith one of the beautiful little creatures which we had seen in hishand. It seemed much less alarmed than birds usually are in the graspof a boy. Perhaps that was owing to the careful way in which Duppo heldit. 

"Oh, you lovely little gem!" exclaimed Ellen; "but I am sure I shallnever be able to take proper care of it. "

Duppo, who seemed to understand her, signified that Oria would do so forher. Oria, who had been watching us taking sugar with our tea, and hadby this time discovered its qualities, mixed a little in a spoon, whichshe at once put before the bill of the little humming-bird. At first itwas far too much alarmed to taste the sweet mess. At length, growingaccustomed to the gentle handling of the Indian girl, it poked out itsbeak and took a sip. "Ho, ho!" it seemed to say, "that is nice stuff!"and then it took another sip, and very soon seemed perfectly satisfiedthat it was not going to be so badly off, in spite of its imprisonment. Oria intimated that she would in time make the little stranger quitetame. 

"But we must keep it out of the way of Master Nimble's paws, forotherwise he would be very likely to treat it with small ceremony, "observed John. "Why, Ellen, you will have a perfect menagerie beforelong. "

"Yes, I hope so, " she answered; "I am not nearly contented yet. Ishould like to have one of those beautiful little ducks you were tellingme of, and as many humming-birds as I can obtain. "

"Perhaps you would like to have a jaguar or puma, " said John. "Ifcaught young, I dare say they can be tamed as well as any other animal. "

"I am afraid they would quarrel with my more harmless pets, " answeredEllen. "And yet a fine large puma would be a good defence against allenemies. "

"Not against an Indian with a poisoned arrow. He would be inconvenient, too, to transport in our canoe. I hope therefore you will confineyourself to small animals, which will not occupy much space. You mayhave as many humming-birds as you like, and half-a-dozen monkeys, provided they and Nimble do not quarrel. "

"Except some pretty little monkeys, I do not wish for any others besidesthose I already have, " said Ellen. 

Duppo and Oria understood Ellen's wish to obtain living creatures, andthey were constantly seeking about, and coming back sometimes with abeautiful butterfly or moth, sometimes with parrots and other birds. 

While we were getting the canoe ready, Ellen and Maria, with theassistance of Oria, had been preparing food for us--baking cakes, anddrying the meat of several birds and animals which John had killed. Wehad hoped to see the large canoe begun before we took our departure, butas the Indians had not arrived, we agreed that it would be better tolose no more time, and to start at once. 

We took an experimental trip in the canoe before finally starting. Wecould have wished her considerably lighter than she was; at the sametime, what she wanted in speed, she possessed in stability. 

Early in the morning we bade Ellen and John, with our faithfulattendants, good-bye. Oria, we thought, exhibited a good deal ofanxiety when we were about to shove off, and she came down to the waterand had a long talk with her brother, evidently charging him to keep hiswits about him, and to take good care of us. Dear Ellen could scarcelyrestrain her tears. "Oh, do be careful where you venture, Harry!" shesaid. "I dread your falling into the power of those dreadful savages. "John also gave us sundry exhortations, to which we promised to attend. 

We were just in the mouth of the igarape, when we saw in the distance asmall canoe coming down it. We therefore waited for her arrival. Shedrew nearer. We saw that only two people were in her, and we thenrecognised our friend Maono and his wife Illora. They were bringing aquantity of plantains and other fruits, with which the centre of thecanoe was filled. Among others were several crowns of young palm-trees, which, when boiled, are more delicate than cabbages, and are frequentlyused by the natives. Maono was dressed in his usual ornaments offeathers on his arms and head, his hair being separated neatly in thecentre, and hanging down on either side. Round his neck was a necklace, and his legs were also adorned like his arms. 

"I have been thinking a good deal lately about the account of the earlyvoyagers, who declared that they met a nation of warrior-women on thebanks of this river, " observed Arthur; "and looking at Maono, it strikesme that we have an explanation of the extraordinary circumstance. If aparty of strangers were to see a band of such men, with shields on theirarms, guarding the shores, they would very likely suppose them, fromtheir appearance, to be females, and consequently, not having had anycloser view of them, they would sail away, declaring that they had met aparty of Amazons, who had prevented their landing. It was thus thismighty river obtained the name of the Amazon. The idea would have beenconfirmed, had they seen in the distance a band of people, withoutornaments of any description, carrying burdens on their backs. Thesethe strangers would naturally have supposed to be slaves, taken in war, and employed to carry the baggage of the fighting ladies. " I agreedwith him that it was very likely to have been the case. 

As our friends drew near, Duppo spoke to them, and told them where wewere going. He then explained to us that if we would wait a littlelonger, they would accompany us and assist us in our search. Onreaching the shore, they carried up their present to Ellen, Illora, Imust confess, bearing the larger portion. Some of the plantains andfruits they put into our canoe as they passed. They had another longtalk, by the usual means of signs, with John and Domingos, who managedtolerably well to comprehend their meaning. We asked Duppo how it wasthey came to have a canoe. He replied that they had found one which hadbeen left behind by the Majeronas, and, as we understood, they hadbrought it down through the igarape, which communicated with anotherriver to the north of us, running into the main stream. When I heardthis, the idea struck me that we were not yet altogether free from thedanger of being attacked by the Majeronas, who, having possessedthemselves of our canoe and those of our friends, might some night comedown and take us by surprise. 

I jumped on shore and took John aside, so that Ellen could not hear me, that I might tell him my fears. "You are right to mention them to me, "he answered; "at the same time, I do not think we need be alarmed. Iwill, however, try and explain your idea to the Indians, and get them toplace scouts on the watch for such an occurrence. I certainly wish wewere further off; but yet, as we are now at a considerable distance fromtheir territory, we shall be able to hear of their approach, should theycome, in time to escape. We must make our way through the woods to thehut of the recluse, and I am very sure that he will be able to afford usprotection. From what he said, he is well-known among all thesurrounding tribes, who appear to treat him with great respect. Thoughwe may lose such of our property as we cannot carry off, that will be ofminor importance if we save our lives. For my part, however, I am underno apprehension of the sort; and I am very glad you did not mention yourfears in the presence of Ellen. "

Though I hoped I might be wrong in supposing an attack possible, I wassatisfied at having warned John before going away. Arthur and I triedto make Duppo understand our plans, that he might describe them to hisfather and mother. They, in return, signified that they would proceedpart of the way with us, and make inquiries as they went along, havingbeen requested to do so by their white friend--meaning the recluse. 

John, Ellen, Domingos, and Maria came down to the edge of the water oncemore to see us off, accompanied by Nimble and Toby--Toby placed on theshoulders of Domingos, while Nimble perched himself on John's arm, holding him affectionately round the neck with his tail. Poll and Nigeralways accompanied Ellen. "We shall soon be back!" I exclaimed, as Ishoved off; "and who knows but that we may be accompanied by papa, mamma, Fanny, and Aunt Martha! Ellen, you must get out your books, forshe will be shocked at finding that you have been so long idle. " Withthese and other cheerful remarks we backed away from the shore, then, turning the canoe's head round, proceeded after our Indian friends. Bykeeping close to the banks we were out of the current, and thus madegood way. Sometimes I steered, sometimes Duppo. Arthur always beggedthat he might keep at his paddle, saying he did not like to take theplace of those who had more experience than himself. A light wind atlength coming from the eastward, we hoisted our sail, and got ahead ofMaono and his wife. The wind increasing, we ran the other canoe out ofsight; but Duppo assured us that his father and mother would soon catchus up, and that we need not therefore wait for them. We looked intoevery opening in the forest which lined the bank, in the faint hope ofseeing the habitation of our friends; but not a hut of any descriptionwas visible; indeed, the shores were mostly lined with so dense avegetation, that in but few places could we even have landed, whileoften for leagues together there was not a spot on which a hut couldhave been built. The wind again falling, we were obliged once more tolower our sail and to take to our paddles, when we were quickly rejoinedby our Indian friends. As it was important to examine every part of theshore carefully, we had agreed, if we could find an island, to landearly in the evening on it. 

CHAPTER FOURTEEN. 

OUR EXPLORING EXPEDITION--FEARFUL DANGER. 

A week had passed away. We had crossed the stream several times toexamine the southern bank of the river, and every inch of the northernbank had been explored. Sometimes we met Maono and his wife to comparenotes, and then we again separated to continue our explorations. Wewere now once more proceeding up the Napo, with high clay bankssurmounted by lofty forest trees above our heads. "I see some peoplemoving on the shore there. O Harry! can it be them?" exclaimed Arthur. Several persons appeared coming through an opening in the forest, at aspot where the ground sloped down to the water. We could, however, seeno habitation. 

"It is possible, " I answered. We passed this part of the river in thedark, and might thus have missed them. 

Having been exploring the western bank, we were crossing the river atthat moment. As we paddled on, my heart beat with excitement. If itshould be them after all! The people stopped, and seemed to beobserving us. We paddled on with all our might, and they came downcloser to the water. Suddenly Duppo lifted up his paddle and exclaimed, "Majeronas!" We looked and looked again, still hoping that Duppo mighthave been mistaken; but his eyes were keener than ours. Approaching alittle nearer, we were convinced that he was right. To go closer to theshore, therefore, would be useless and dangerous. We accordinglypaddled back to the side we had just left, where we once more continuedour upward course. 

We had parted two days before this from Maono and Illora, who were toexplore part of the bank we had left unvisited, and to meet us again atthe island where we had been so nearly wrecked at the mouth of theigarape. We had almost reached the spot where we had expected to findmy father and the rest of our family. The shores of the river wereoccasionally visited, as we had learned by experience, by the Majeronas, though not usually inhabited by them. It was therefore necessary to usegreat caution when going on shore. We landed, however, whenever we sawa spot where we thought it possible our friends might have touched ontheir voyage, in the hope that they might there have left some signal ornote for us. The banks were here very different from those lower down. In many places they were composed of sand or clay cliffs of considerableheight, often completely overhanging the river, as if the water hadwashed away their bases--indeed, such was undoubtedly the case. Frequently the trees grew to the very edge of these cliffs, theirbranches forming a thick shade over the stream. To avoid the hot sun wewere tempted to keep our canoe close under them, as it was very pleasantto be able to paddle on in the comparatively cool air. Thus weproceeded, till we arrived at the spot where we had been so bitterlydisappointed at not finding my family. No one was to be seen, but welanded, that we might again examine it more carefully. The ground onwhich the hut had stood still remained undisturbed, though vegetationhad almost obliterated all the traces of fire. After hunting about invain for some time, we took our way back to the canoe. We had nearlyreached the water's edge, when Arthur exclaimed that he saw somethingwhite hanging to the lower branch of a tree, amid the thick undergrowthwhich grew around. We had some difficulty in cutting our way up to it. We then saw a handkerchief tied up in the shape of a ball. 

"Why, it is only full of dried leaves!" exclaimed Arthur, as we openedit. 

"Stay a moment, " I answered. "I think there is something within themthough. "

Unrolling the leaves, I found a small piece of paper, torn apparentlyfrom a pocket-book. On it were written a few lines. They were: "DearBrothers, --I trust you will see this. Enemies are approaching, and ourfather has resolved to quit this spot and proceed down the river. Wehope to send a messenger up to warn you not to land here, but I leavethis in case you should miss him, and do so. Where we shall stop, Icannot say; but our father wishes, for our mother's sake and mine, andAunt Martha's, not again to settle till we reach a part of the riverinhabited by friendly natives. That will, I fear, not be till we getsome way down the Amazon. I am warned to finish and do this up. Thenatives are seen in the distance coming towards us. "

This note, the first assurance we had received that our family hadescaped, greatly raised our spirits. We had now only to make the bestof our way back to John and Ellen with the satisfactory intelligence. We accordingly hurried back to the canoe, and began our downward voyage. We had gone some distance when we saw a small opening in the river, where, on the shore, two or three canoes were hauled up. They mightbelong to friendly natives, from whom we might obtain some fish or otherfresh provisions, of which we were somewhat in want. We were about topaddle in, when we caught sight of several fierce-looking men with bowsin their hands, rushing down towards the bank. Their appearance andgestures were so hostile that we immediately turned the head of ourcanoe down the stream again, and paddled away as fast as we could. Wehad not, however, got far, when, looking back, we saw that they hadentered one of the larger canoes, and were shoring off, apparently topursue us. We did our best to make way, in the hope of keeping ahead ofthem. I should have said the weather at this time had been somewhatchangeable. Clouds had been gathering in the sky, and there was everysign of a storm. As I have already described two we encountered, I neednot enter into the particulars of the one which now broke over us. Under other circumstances we should have been glad to land to escape itsfury, but as it was, we were compelled to paddle on as fast as we couldgo. On looking back, we saw that the Indians were actually pursuing us. "Never fear, " cried Arthur. "We shall be able to keep ahead of them!"The lightning flashed vividly, the rain came down in torrents, butthrough the thick wall of water we could still see our enemies comingrapidly after us. Although the current, had we stood out into themiddle of the stream, might have carried us faster, the shortest routewas by keeping near the bank. The Indians followed the same course. True rushed to the stern, and stood up barking defiance at them, as hesaw them drawing nearer. I dreaded lest they should begin to shoot withtheir poisoned arrows. Should they get near enough for those fearfulweapons to reach us, our fate would be sealed. Only for an instantcould we afford time to glance over our shoulders at our foes. Nearerand nearer they drew. Duppo courageously kept his post, steering thecanoe, and paddling with all his might. Every moment I expected to seethem start up and let fly a shower of arrows at us. I might, of course, have fired at them; but this would have delayed us, and probably nothave stopped them. Our only hope of escape therefore depended upon ourbeing able to distance them. Yet they were evidently coming up with us. We strained every nerve; but, try as we might, we could not drive ourlittle canoe faster than we were going. 

My heart sank within me when, looking back once more, I saw how nearthey were. In a few minutes more we might expect to have a shower ofarrows whizzing by us, and then we knew too well that, though we mightreceive comparatively slight wounds, the deadly poison in them wouldsoon have effect. This did not make us slacken our exertions, thoughscarcely any hope of escape remained. Still we knew that somethingunforeseen might intervene for our preservation. I do hold, and alwayshave held, that it is the duty of a man to struggle to the last. "Neversay die!" is a capital motto in a good cause. 

The rain poured down in torrents, the lightning flashed, the thunderroared, and gusts of wind swept down the river. We were, however, greatly protected by the bank above us. The storm blew more furiously. We could see overhead branches torn from the trees and carried into thestream. Still the Indians, with unaccountable pertinacity, followed us. We scarcely now dared look behind us, as all our energies were requiredto keep ahead; yet once more I turned round. Several of our pursuerswere standing up and drawing their bows. The arrows flew by us. "Oh, Iam hit!" cried Arthur. "But I wish I had not said that. Paddle on!paddle on! I may still have strength to go on for some time. " Now, indeed, I felt ready to give way to despair; still, encouraged byArthur, I persevered. For a moment only he ceased paddling. It was topull the arrow from the wound in his shoulder; then again he worked awayas if nothing had occurred. The next flight of arrows, I knew, might befatal to all of us. I could not resist glancing round. Once more theIndians were drawing their bows; but at that instant a fearful rumblingnoise was heard, followed by a terrific crashing sound. The trees aboveour heads bent forward. "Paddle out into the middle of the stream!"cried Arthur. Duppo seemed to have understood him, and turned thecanoe's head away from the shore. The whole cliff above us was givingway. Down it came, crash succeeding crash, the water lashed into foam. The spot where the canoe of our savage pursuers had last been seen wasnow one mass of falling cliff and tangled forest. Trees were ahead ofus, trees on every side. The next instant I found myself clinging tothe branch of a tree. True had leaped up to my ride. Duppo was closeto me grasping the tree with one hand, while he held my gun above hishead in the other. I took it from him and placed it in a cleft of thetrunk. Without my aid he quickly climbed up out of the water. Thecanoe had disappeared, and where was Arthur? The masses of foam, thethick, down-pouring rain, the leaves and dust whirled by the wind roundus, concealed everything from our sight. 

"Arthur!--Arthur!--where are you?" I cried out. There was no answer. Again I shouted at the top of my voice, "Arthur!--Arthur!" The tree, detached from the bank, now floated down the stream. I could only hopethat it would not turn over in the eddying waters. Still the loudcrashing sounds of the falling cliff continued, as each huge mass camesliding down into the river. The current, increased in rapidity by therain, which had probably been falling much heavier higher up the stream, bore us onward. Oh, what would I have given to know that my friend hadescaped! I could scarcely feel as thankful as I ought to have done formy own preservation, when I thought that he had been lost. 

The whole river seemed filled with uprooted trees; in some places boundtogether by the sipos, they formed vast masses--complete islands. Onseveral we could see creatures moving about. Here and there severalterrified monkeys, which had taken shelter from the storm in a hollowtrunk, were now running about, looking out in vain for some means ofreaching the shore. Ahead of us we distinguished some large animal on afloating mass, but whether jaguar, puma, or tapir, at that distance Icould not make out. No trace of the Indians or their canoe could wediscover. It was evident that they had been entirely overwhelmed;indeed, as far as we could judge, the landslip had commenced close tothe spot where we had last seen them, and they could not have had thewarning which we received before the cliff was upon them. Not for amoment, however, notwithstanding all the terrifying circumstancessurrounding me, were my thoughts taken off Arthur. Wounded as he hadbeen by the poisoned dart, I feared that, even had he not been struck bythe bough of a falling tree, he would have sunk through weaknessproduced by the poison. It made me very sad. Duppo was trying tocomfort me, but what he said I could not understand. Our own positionwas indeed dangerous in the extreme. Any moment the tree might rollover, as we saw others doing round us: we might be unable to regain aposition on the upper part. Should we escape that danger, and be drivenon the bank inhabited by the hostile Majeronas, they would very probablyput us to death. I had, however, providentially my ammunition-beltround my waist, and my gun had been preserved; I might, therefore, fightfor life, and if we escaped, kill some animals for our support. Shouldwe not reach the land, and once enter the main river, we might becarried down for hundreds of miles, day after day, and, unable toprocure any food, be starved to death. Ellen and John would be veryanxious at our non-appearance. These and many similar thoughts crossedmy mind. I fancied that had Arthur been with me I should have felt verydifferently, but his loss made my spirits sink, and I could hardly keepup the courage which I had always wished to maintain under difficulties. Duppo's calmness put me to shame. True looked up in my face, andendeavoured to comfort me by licking my hand, and showing other marks ofaffection. Poor fellow! if we were likely to starve, so was he; butthen he did not know that, and was better able to endure hunger thaneither Duppo or me. 

The rain continued pouring down, hiding all objects, except in theimmediate vicinity, from our view. I judged, however, that the fallingcliff had sent us some distance from the shore into the more rapid partof the current. Providentially it was so, for we could still see theindistinct forms of the trees come sliding down, while the constant loudcrashes told us that the destruction of the banks had not yet ceased. Thus we floated on till darkness came down upon us, adding to the horrorof our position. The rain had by that time stopped. The thunder nolonger roared, and the lightning ceased flashing. The storm was over, but I feared, from the time of the year, that we might soon be visitedby another. We had climbed up into a broad part of the trunk, where, among the projecting branches, we could sit or lie down securely withoutdanger of falling off. My chief fear arose from what I have alreadymentioned, --the possibility of the tree turning over. This made meunwilling either to secure myself to the branches, or indeed even toventure to go to sleep. 

Hour after hour slowly passed by. Had Arthur been saved, I could havekept up my spirits; but every now and then, when the recollection of hisloss came across me, I could not help bursting into tears. Poor, dearfellow! I had scarcely thought how much I had cared for him. Duppospoke but little; indeed, finding himself tolerably secure, he probablythought little of the future. He expected, I dare say, to get on shoresomewhere or other, and it mattered little to him where that was. Truecoiled himself up by my side, continuing his efforts to comfort me. Inspite of my unwillingness to go to sleep, I found myself frequentlydropping off; and at last, in spite of my dread of what might occur, myeyes remained closed, and my senses wandered away into the land ofdreams. Duppo also went to sleep, and, I suspect, so did True. 

I was awoke by the rays of the sun striking my eyes; when, opening them, I looked about me, wondering where I was. Very soon I recollected allthat had occurred. Then came the sad recollection that Arthur had beenlost. Our tree appeared to be in the position in which it had been whenwe went to sleep. Numerous other trees and masses of wood, some ofconsiderable size, floated around us on either hand. The banks werefurther off than I had expected to find them. True, pressing his headagainst me, looked up affectionately in my face, as much as to ask, "What are we to do next, master?" It was a question I was puzzled toanswer. I had to call loudly to Duppo to arouse him. After lookingabout for some time, I was convinced that the tree had been drifted intothe main stream. On and on it floated. I began to feel very hungry; asdid my companions. We were better off than we should have been at seaon a raft, because we could, by scrambling down the branches, quench ourthirst. I brought some water up in my cap for True, as I was afraid ofletting him go down, lest he should be washed off. I was holding it forhim to drink, when Duppo pointed, with an expression of terror in hiscountenance, to the upper end of the tree, and there I saw, working itsway towards us along the branches, a huge serpent, which had probablyremained concealed in some hollow, or among the forked boughs, duringthe night. A second glance convinced me that it was a boa. To escapefrom it was impossible. If we should attempt to swim to the other treesit might follow us, or we might be snapped up by alligators on our way. I might kill it, but if I missed, it would certainly seize one of us. It stopped, and seemed to be watching us. Its eye was fixed on True, who showed none of his usual bravery. Instinct probably told him thepower of his antagonist. Instead of rushing forward as he wouldprobably have done even had a jaguar appeared, he kept crouching down bymy side. Unacquainted with the habits of the boa, I could not tellwhether it might not spring upon us. I knelt down on the tree andlifted my rifle; I did not, however, wish to fire till it was nearenough to receive the full charge in its body. Again it advanced alongthe boughs. It was within five yards of us. I fired, aiming at itshead. As the smoke cleared away, I saw the huge body twisting andturning violently, the tail circling the branch on which it wascrawling. Duppo uttered a shout of triumph, and, rushing forward with apaddle which he had saved from the canoe, dealt the already mangled headnumberless blows with all his might. The creature's struggles were atlength over. 

Pointing to the boa, Duppo now made signs that we should not be in wantof food; but I felt that I must be more hungry than I then was, before Icould be tempted to eat a piece of the hideous monster. When I told himso, he smiled, enough to say, "Wait a little till you have seen itroasted. " I had my axe in my belt. He asked me for it, and taking itin his hand cut away a number of chips from the drier part of the tree, and also some of the smaller branches. Having piled them up on a broadpart of the trunk near the water, he came back to ask me for a light. Itold him that if I had tinder I could get it with the help of the pan ofmy gun. Away he went, scrambling along the branches, and in a shorttime returned with a bird's nest, which he held up in triumph. It wasperfectly dry, and I saw would burn easily. In another minute he had afire blazing away. I was afraid that the tree itself might ignite. Duppo pointed to the water to show that we might easily put it out if itburned too rapidly. He next cut off some slices from the body of theboa, and stuck them on skewers in the Indian fashion over the fire. Though I had before fancied that I could not touch it, no sooner had Ismelt the roasting flesh than my appetite returned. When it was done, Duppo ate a piece, and made signs that it was very good. I, at length, could resist no longer; and though it was rather coarse and tough, I wasglad enough to get something to stop the pangs of hunger. True ate upthe portion we gave him without hesitation. Duppo then cut severalslices, which, instead of roasting, he hung up on sticks over the fireto dry, throwing the remainder into the water. 

He tried his best to amuse me by an account of a combat his father oncewitnessed in the depths of the forest between two huge boas, probably ofdifferent species. One lay coiled on the ground, the other had takenpost on the branch of a tree. It ended by the former seizing the headof its opponent with its wide open jaws, sucking in a part of its hugebody, gradually unwinding it from the tree. It had attempted, however, a dangerous operation. Suddenly down came the tail, throwing its coilsround the victor, and the two monsters lay twisting and writhing in themost terrific manner, till both were dead. I have given the account aswell as I could make it out, but of course I could not understand itvery clearly. 

The clouds had cleared away completely, and the sun's rays struck downwith even more than their usual heat. Still, from the storms we had hadof late, I suspected that the rainy season was about to begin. I couldonly hope, therefore, that we might reach the shore before the watersdescended with their full force. Slowly we floated down with thecurrent. On either side of us were several masses of trees, and singletrees, such as I have before described. The rate at which we moveddiffered considerably from many of them. Now we drifted towards one;now we seemed to be carried away again from it. This, I concluded, wasowing partly to the different sizes of the floating masses, and to thedepth they were sunk in the water; and partly to the irregularity of thecurrent. The wind also affected them, those highest out of the water ofcourse feeling it most. 

CHAPTER FIFTEEN. 

VOYAGE DOWN THE AMAZON ON A TREE. 

All day and another night we drifted on. The flesh of the boa wasconsumed. Unless a strong breeze should get up which might drive us onshore, we must go on for many days without being able to obtain food. Iagain became anxious on that point, and was sorry we had not saved moreof the boa's flesh, unpalatable as I had found it. Again the sun roseand found us floating on in the middle of the stream. Duppo, althoughhis countenance did not show much animation, was keeping, I saw, alook-out on the water, to get hold of anything that might drift near us. Presently I observed the small trunk of a rough-looking tree comefloating down directly towards us. As it floated on the surface, beingapparently very light, it came at a more rapid rate than we were moving. At length it almost touched the trunk, and Duppo, signing to me to cometo his assistance, scrambled down towards it. He seized it eagerly, anddragged it up by means of a quantity of rough fibre which hung round it. He then asked me to help him in tearing off the fibre. This I did, andafter we had procured a quantity of it, he let the trunk go. When Iinquired what he was going to do with it, he made signs that he intendedto manufacture some fishing-lines. 

"But where are the hooks? and where the bait?" I asked, doubling up myfinger to show what I meant. 

"By-and-by make, " he answered; and immediately on regaining our usualseat, he set to work splitting the fibre and twisting it with greatneatness. 

I watched him, feeling, however, that I could be of little assistance. He seemed to work so confidently that I hoped he would manage tomanufacture some hooks, though of what material I was puzzled to guess. The kind of tree which had so opportunely reached us I afterwards sawgrowing on shore. It reaches to about the height of thirty feet. Theleaves are large, pinnate, shining, and very smooth and irregular. Theygrow out of the trunk, the whole of which is covered with a coating offibres hanging down like coarse hair. It is called by the natives_piassaba_. This fibre is manufactured into cables and small ropes. Itis also used for brooms and brushes; while out of the finer portions aremanufactured artificial flowers, baskets, and a variety of delicatearticles. 

While Duppo was working away at the fishing-lines, I was watching thevarious masses of trees floating near us. One especially I had observedfor some time a little ahead of us, and we now appeared to be nearingit. As I watched it I saw something moving about, and at length Idiscovered that it was a monkey. He kept jumping about from branch tobranch, very much astonished at finding himself floating down the river. He was evidently longing to get back to his woods, but how to manage itwas beyond his conception. I pointed him out to Duppo. "He do, " hesaid, nodding his head. It was a great question, however, whether weshould reach the floating island. Even when close to it the currentmight sweep us off in another direction. Still, as we had drawn sonear, I was in hopes that we should be drifted up to it. Had I not beenhungry, I should have been very unwilling to shoot the monkey but now, Iconfess, I longed to get to the island for that very object. Thecreature would supply us and True with food for a couple of days, at allevents. By that time Duppo might have finished his fishing-lines, andwe might be able to catch some fish. Had we been on a raft, we mighthave impelled it towards an island; but we had no control over the hugetree which supported us. All we could do therefore was to sit quiet andwatch its progress. Sometimes I doubted whether it was getting nearer, and my hopes of obtaining a dinner off the poor monkey grew less andless. Then it received a new impulse, and gradually we approached theisland. Again for an hour or more we went drifting on, and seemed notto have drawn a foot nearer all the time. Duppo every now and thenlooked up from his work and nodded his head, to signify that he wassatisfied with the progress we were making. He certainly had morepatience than I possessed. At length I lay down, True by my side, determined not to watch any longer. I fell asleep. Duppo shoutingawoke me, and looking up I found that our tree had drifted up to thefloating mass; that the branches were interlocked, and as far as wecould judge we were secured alongside. The monkey, who had been for abrief time monarch of the floating island, now found his dominionsinvaded by suspicious-looking strangers. For some time, however, I didnot like to venture across the boughs; but at length the trunk droveagainst a solid part of the mass, and Duppo leading the way, True and Ifollowed him on to the island. "Ocoki! ocoki!" he exclaimed, and ranalong the trunk of a tall, prostrate tree of well-nigh one hundred feetin length. On the boughs at the further end grew a quantity ofpear-shaped fruit, which he began to pick off eagerly. I did the same, though its appearance was not tempting, as it was covered with an outerskin of a woody texture. As he seemed eager to get it, I did not stopto make inquiries, but collected as much as I could carry in my walletand pockets. He meantime had filled his arms full, and running back, placed them in a secure place on the trunk of the tree we had left. 

The monkey had meantime climbed to a bough which rose higher than therest out of the tangled mass. Hunger made me eager to kill thecreature. I took good aim, hoping at once to put it out of pain. I hitit, but in falling it caught a bough with its tail, and hung on high upin the air. Duppo immediately scrambled away, and before long hadmounted the tree. Though the monkey was dead, its tail still circledthe bough, and he had to use some force to unwind it. He brought itdown with evident satisfaction, and now proposed that we should returnto our tree and light another fire. We first collected as much dry woodand as many leaves as we could find. Duppo quickly had the monkey'sskin off. True came in for a portion of his dinner before ours wascooked. I saw Duppo examining the smaller bones, which he extractedcarefully, as well as a number of sinews, which he put aside. He thenstuck some of the meat on to thin spits, and placed it to roast in theusual fashion over the fire. While this operation was going on, hepeeled some of the fruit we had collected. Inside the rind was aquantity of pulpy matter, surrounding a large black oval stone. I foundthe pulpy matter very sweet and luscious. I ate a couple, and whileengaged in eating a third I felt a burning sensation in my mouth andthroat, and, hungry as I was, I was afraid of going on. Duppo, however, consumed half-a-dozen with impunity. I may as well say here that thisfruit is of a peculiarly acrid character. When, however, the juice isboiled it loses this property, and we frequently employed it mixed withtapioca, when it is called _mingau_ by the natives. It takes, however, a large portion of the fruit to give even a small cup of the mingau. Itgrows on the top of one of the highest trees of the forest, and as soonas it is ripe it falls to the ground, when its hard woody coatingpreserves it from injury. The natives then go out in large parties tocollect it, as it is a great favourite among them. 

As may be supposed, we were too hungry to wait till the monkey was verymuch done. I found that I could eat a little ocoki fruit as a sweetsauce with the somewhat dry flesh. 

Although the island was of some size, yet, as we scrambled about it, wesaw that its portions were not firmly knit together, and I thought itvery likely, should a storm come on, and should it be exposed to theagitation of the water, it might separate. I therefore resolved toremain on our former tree, that, at all events, having proved itself tobe tolerably stable. 

We were engaged in eating our meal when my ears caught that peculiarsound once heard not easily forgotten--that of a rattlesnake. Duppoheard it too, and so did True, who started up and looked eagerly about. At length we distinguished a creature crawling along the boughs of atree about a dozen yards off. It had possibly been attracted by thesmell of the roasting monkey, so I thought. It seemed to be making itsway towards us. Perhaps it had long before espied the monkey, which ithad been unable when alive to get hold of. At all events, it was adangerous neighbour. I had no wish for it to crawl on to our tree, where it might conceal itself, and keep us constantly on the watch tillwe had killed it. Now I caught sight of it for a moment; now it washidden among the tangled mass of boughs. Still I could hear thatominous rattle as it shook its tail while moving along. Though its biteis generally fatal, it is easily avoided on shore, and seldom or never, I have heard, springs on a human being, or bites unless trodden on, orsuddenly met with and attacked. In vain I looked for it. It keptmoving about under the boughs, as I could tell by the sound of itsrattle. Now it stopped, then went on again, now stopped again, and Idreaded every instant to see it spring out from its leafy covert towardus. I kept my gun ready to fire on it should I see it coming. I was soengaged in watching for the snake, that I did not observe that theisland was turning slowly round. Presently there was a rustling and aslightly crashing sound of the boughs, and I found that our tree wasonce more separated from the island, and just then I saw not only onebut several snakes moving about. One of the creatures came along thebough, and lifting its head, hissed as if it would like to spring at us, but by that time we were too far off. Again we went floating down withgreater speed than the floating island, and, judging from theinhabitants we had seen on it, we had reason to be thankful that we hadescaped so soon. 

Duppo, since he had finished eating, had been busy scraping away at someof the monkey bones, and he now produced several, with which heintimated he should soon be able to manufacture some hooks. Having putout our fire lest it should ignite the whole tree, we once morescrambled back to our former resting-place. Duppo, having got a coupleof lines ready, worked away most perseveringly with the monkey bones, till he had manufactured a couple of serviceable-looking hooks. Thesehe bound on with the sinews to the lines. He was going to fasten onsome of the knuckle-bones as weights, but I having some large shot in mypocket, they answered the purpose much better. The hooks, baited withthe monkey flesh, were now ready for use. Duppo, however, beforeputting them into the water, warned me that I must be very quick instriking, lest the fish should bite the lines through before we hauledthem up. As we were floating downwards we cast the lines up thecurrent, taking our seat on a stout bough projecting over the water. There we sat, eagerly waiting for a bite, True looking on with greatgravity, as if he understood all about the matter. I almost trembledwith eagerness, when before long I felt a tug at my line. I struck atonce, but up it came without a fish. Again, in a short time, I feltanother bite. It seemed a good strong pull, and I hoped that I hadcaught a fish which would give us a dinner. I hauled it up, but as itrose above the water I saw that it was not many inches in length. Still, it was better than nothing. It was of a beautiful grey hue. Ongetting it into my hand to take it off the hook, what was my surprise tosee it swell out till it became a perfect ball. "_Mamayacu_!" exclaimedDuppo. "No good eat. " I thought he was right, for I certainly shouldnot have liked attempting to feed on so odd-looking a creature. Whengoing to unhook it I found that its small mouth was fixed in the meat. When left alone it gradually resumed its former proportions. 

I soon had another bite, and this time I hoped I should get somethingworth having. Again I hauled in, when up came a fish as long as theother was short and round, with a curious pointed snout. This, too, hadbeen caught by the tough monkey meat, and promised to be of little moreservice than my first prize. I caught two or three other curious butuseless fish, though, if very much pressed for food, we might havemanaged to scrape a little flesh off them. Duppo sat patiently fishingon. Though he had got no bites, he escaped being tantalised as I was bythe nibbling little creatures which attacked my bait. Perhaps he sankhis lower down. I could not exactly make it out, but so it was; and atlength I saw his line pulled violently. His eyes glistened witheagerness. He had evidently, he thought, got a large fish hooked. Hefirst allowed his line to run to its full length, then gradually hehauled it in, making a sign to me to come to his assistance. He thenhanded me the line. I felt from the tugging that a fish of aconsiderable size was hooked. He meantime got an arrow from his quiverand fitted it to his bow. Then he signed to me to haul in gently. Idid so, dreading every instant that our prize would escape, for I couldscarcely suppose that a bone hook could withstand so strong a pull. Kneeling down on the trunk, he waited till we could see the dark form ofthe fish below the surface. At that moment the arrow flew from his bow, and the next all resistance ceased; and now without difficulty I hauledthe fish to the surface. Stooping down, he got hold of it by the gills, and with my assistance hauled it up to the trunk. It was nearly threefeet long, with a flat spoon-shaped head, and beautifully spottedstriped skin. From each side of its head trailed thin feelers, half thelength of the fish itself. I felt very sure that with such tackle as wehad that I should never have been able to secure so fine a fish. We hadnow food to last us as long as the fish remained good. We had just timeto light a fire and cook a portion, as we had dressed the monkey flesh, before darkness came on. 

The night passed quietly away, and the morning light showed us the samescene as that on which the evening had closed, of the far-off forest, and the wide expanse of water, with single trees and tangled masses ofunderwood floating on it. After we had lighted a fire, and cooked somemore fish for breakfast, Duppo put out his lines to try and catch afurther supply. Not a bite, however, did he get. He hoped, he said, tobe more successful in the evening. We therefore hauled in the lines, and I employed the time in teaching him English. I was sure that Ellenwould be greatly pleased, should we ever return, to find that he hadimproved. 

Another day was passing by. The wind had been moderate and the riversmooth. Again it came on to blow, and our tree was so violentlyagitated that I was afraid it would be thrown over, and that we shouldbe washed off it. As we looked round we saw the other masses with whichwe had kept company tossed about in the same way, and frequently movingtheir positions. Now we drove on before the wind faster than we hadhitherto gone. There was one mass ahead which I had remarked from thefirst, though at a considerable distance. We were now drifting nearerto it. I had watched it for some hours, when I fancied I saw an objectmoving about on the upper part. "It must be another monkey, " I said tomyself. I pointed it out to Duppo. He remarked that it moved tooslowly for a monkey; that it was more probably a sloth. Then again itstopped moving, and I could scarcely distinguish it among the branchesof the trees. I hoped that we might drift near enough to get it. Itwould probably afford us more substantial fare than our fish. After atime I saw Duppo eagerly watching the island. Suddenly he started up, and waved his hand. I looked as keenly as I could. Yes; it seemed tome that the figure on the island was again moving, and waving also. Itwas a human being; and if so, who else but Arthur? My heart bounded atthe thought. Yet, how could he have escaped? How had he not beforebeen seen by us? Again I waved, this time with a handkerchief in myhand. The figure held out a handkerchief also. There was now no doubtabout the matter. It was very doubtful, however, whether we shoulddrift much nearer the floating island. The wind increased; a drizzlingrain came down and almost concealed it from sight, so that we could nottell whether or not we were continuing to approach it. This increasedmy anxiety. Yet the hope of seeing my friend safe, once kindled, wasnot to be extinguished; even should we not drive close enough to theisland to join each other, we still might meet elsewhere. All we coulddo, therefore, was to sit quietly on the tree, and wait the course ofevents. 

One of the most difficult things to do, I have found, is to waitpatiently. Hour after hour passed by. The wind blew hard, and often sohigh did the waves rise that I was afraid we might be swept off. Whatwould become of us during the long, dreary night? I felt the cold, too, more than I had done since we began our voyage. How much more must poorDuppo have suffered, with less clothing! I should have liked to havelighted a fire; but with the rain falling, and the tree tossing about, that was impracticable. We all three--Duppo, True, and I--sat crouchingtogether in the most sheltered part of the tree. Thus the hours ofdarkness approached, and crept slowly on. Did I say my prayers? it maybe asked. Yes, I did; I may honestly say that I never forgot to do so. I was reminded, too, to ask for protection, from feeling how little ableI was, by my own unaided arm, to escape the dangers by which I wassurrounded. I tried to get Duppo to join me. I thought he understoodme; but yet he could scarcely have had the slightest conception of thegreat Being to whom I was addressing my prayers. I hoped, however, whenhe knew more of our language, that I should be able to impart somewhatof the truth to his hitherto uncultivated mind. 

In spite of the rain, the darkness, and the movements of our tree, I atlength fell asleep, and so, I believe, did Duppo and True. I was awoke, after some time, by a crashing sound, similar to that which had occurredwhen we drove against the floating island. I started up. True uttereda sharp bark. It awoke Duppo. Presently I heard a voice at no greatdistance exclaiming, "What is that? Who is there?"

"Who are you?" I shouted out. 

"I am Arthur! And oh, Harry! is it you?"

"Yes, " I answered. "How thankful I am that you have escaped!"

"And so am I that you have been saved, " answered Arthur. "But where areyou? I cannot find my way among the bough. Have you come off to me inthe canoe?" I told him in reply how we were situated. "Can you joinme?" he asked. "I have hurt my foot, and am afraid of falling. "

"Stay where you are, " I answered; "we will try to reach you. "

I made Duppo understand that I wished to get to where Arthur was. Itwas necessary to move very cautiously, for fear of slipping off into thewater. We could not tell, indeed, whether the butt-end or the boughs ofour tree had caught in the floating island; all we could see was a darkmass near us, and a few branches rising up towards the sky. I wasafraid, however, that if we did not make haste we might be againseparated from it as we had been from the other island. We scrambledfirst some way along the boughs; but as we looked down we could see thedark water below us, and I was afraid should we get on to the outer endsthat they might break and let us fall into it. I thought also of True, for though we might possibly have swung ourselves across the boughs, hewould have been unable to follow us. I turned back, and once more mademy way towards the root-end, which, by the experience we had before had, I hoped might have driven in closer to the mass we wished to reach. Wehad to crawl carefully on our hands and knees, for the rain had made thetrunk slippery, and we might easily have fallen off. As I got towardsthe end, I began to hope that it was touching the island. I againcalled out to Arthur. His voice sounded clearer than before. When Igot to the end among the tangled mass of roots, I stopped once more toascertain what Duppo advised we should do. 

I sat some time trying to pierce the gloom. At length I thought I saw athick bough projecting over the extreme end of our tree. If I couldonce catch hold of it I might swing myself on to the island. There wasone fear, however, that it might give way with my weight. Still I sawno other mode of getting to Arthur. True, I hoped, might leap along theroots, which were sufficiently buoyant to bear his weight, at allevents. Having given my rifle to Duppo to hold, I cautiously went on. I got nearer and nearer the bough. With one strong effort I might catchhold of it. I sprang up, and seized it with both hands. It seemedfirmly fixed in a mass of floating wood. After clambering along for ashort distance I let myself down and found footing below me. I nowcalled to Duppo, and holding on to the bough above my head with onehand, stepped back till at last I was able to reach the rifle which heheld out towards me. True sprang forward, and was in an instant by myside. Duppo followed more carefully, and at length we were all threeupon the island. 

"We shall soon find our way to you, " I cried out to Arthur. 

"Oh, thank you, thank you!" he answered. 

It was no easy matter, however, to make our way among the tangled massof trunks and roots and boughs without slipping down into the creviceswhich yawned at our feet. I could judge pretty well by his voice whereArthur was. Duppo pulled at my arm. He wished that I would let him gofirst. This I was glad to do, as I had great confidence in his judgmentand activity. Following close behind him, we at length got directlyunder where Arthur was perched. 

"Here we are, " I cried out, "on a firm trunk. Could you not manage tocome down?"

"I am afraid not, " he answered. 

"Stay, then; I will climb up and assist you, " I said. 

Putting my gun down, I made my way up the branch. Most thankful I wasagain to press his hand. 

"I am somewhat sick and hungry, " he said; "but now you have come, Ishall soon be all right. "

"Well, let me help you down first, " I replied. "We have brought somefood, and when you have eaten it we will talk more about what hashappened to us. I hope we shall manage somehow or other to reach theshore before this island is carried out to sea. "

"Oh yes, I hope so indeed, " he said. "I have never thought thatlikely. "

I now set to work to help Arthur down. Duppo stood under the branch andassisted me in placing him at length in a more secure position. 

"Oh, I am so thankful you have come!" he kept repeating; "my onlyanxiety was about you. Still I hoped, as I had so wonderfully escaped, that you might also be safe. All I know is, that I was in the water, and then that I found myself clinging to a bough, and that I graduallypulled myself up out of the water. I believe I fainted, for I foundmyself lying among a mass of boughs; and when I managed at last to situp, I discovered that I was floating down the river. Not for some timedid I feel any sense of hunger. At length, when I did so, I found, greatly to my satisfaction, that I had my wallet over my shoulders, wellstored with provisions. They were, to be sure, wet through; but I ateenough to satisfy the cravings of hunger. In the morning I looked aboutme, hoping to see you on one of the masses of trees which were floatingdown the stream round me. You may fancy how sad I felt when I couldnowhere distinguish you. I knew, however, that it was wrong to give wayto despair, so when the sun came forth I dried the remainder of thefood, which has supported me hitherto. "

"But did you feel any pain from your wound?" I asked. "That has beenone great anxiety to me. I thought you were truck by a poisoned arrow. "

"No, " he answered. "I pulled it out at once, and had forgotten it, tillI felt a pain in my shoulder. Then the dreadful thought that it waspoisoned came across me, and I expected, for some time, to feel itworking within my system. It was perhaps that which made me faint; butas I did not feel any other ill effects, I began to hope that, either inpassing through my jacket the poison had been scraped off, or that ithas, as I have heard, but slight noxious effects on salt-eatingEuropeans. "

I agreed with him that this must be the case; indeed, he complained ofonly a slight pain in the shoulder where the arrow had struck him. Inthe darkness which surrounded us, I could do no more than give him someof the food we had brought with us. The remainder of the night we saton the trunk of the tree, Duppo and I supporting Arthur in our arms, while True crouched down by my side. We could hear the water washinground us, and the wind howling among the branches over our heads. Therain at length ceased, but I felt chilled and cold; and Arthur and Duppowere, I feared, suffering still more. Thus we sat on, doing our best tocheer each other. So long a time had passed since Arthur had beenstruck by the arrow, that I no longer apprehended any dangerous effectsfrom it. Still, he was very weak from the long exposure and the want offood, and I became more anxious to get him safe on shore, where, at allevents, he might obtain shelter and sufficient nourishment. Wherever wemight be cast, we should, in all probability, be able to build a hut;and I hoped that with my gun, and Duppo's bow, we should obtain an amplesupply of game. 

"Now we have found each other, I am afraid of nothing, " said Arthur. 

"Neither am I, " I answered. "Still I fear that Ellen and John will bevery unhappy when they do not see us. "

We had been talking for some time, when we felt a violent shock. Thewater hissed and bubbled up below us, and the mass of trees on which wefloated seemed as if they were being torn asunder. Such, indeed, wasthe case. Duppo uttered a cry of alarm. 

"What shall we do?" exclaimed Arthur. "O Harry, do try and saveyourself. Never mind me. What can have happened?"

"We have driven ashore, " I answered. "I am nearly certain of it. Allwe can do till daylight is to cling on to this trunk; or, if you willstay here with Duppo, I will try and make my way to the other side, toascertain where we are. "

"Oh, do not leave me, Harry, " he said. "I am afraid something mayhappen to you. "

We sat on for a few minutes. Still the crashing and rending of theboughs and sipos continued. At length I was afraid that we might beswept away by the current, and be prevented from reaching the shore. Itherefore told Duppo what I wanted to do. He taking Arthur by one arm, I supported him by the other, and thus holding him up we tried to forceour way among the tangled mass. Now we had to hang on by our hands, finding no firm footing for our feet. In vain we tried to force our wayonwards. In the darkness I soon saw that it was impossible. A thickwall of sipos impeded our progress. It was not without the greatestdifficulty that at length we got back to the trunk we had left. Eventhat was violently tossed about, and I was even now afraid that we mightbe thrown off it. Once more we sat down on the only spot which affordedus any safety. Gradually objects became more clear, and then I saw, rising up against the sky, the tall upright stems of trees. They couldnot be growing on our floating island. I now became aware that the masson which we sat had swung round. It seemed once more to be moving on. There was no time to be lost. Duppo and I again lifted up Arthur, andmade our way towards the end of the trunk. Not till then did I discoverthat it was in actual contact with the shore. We hurried along. A fewfeet only intervened between us and the dry land. "Stay, I will gofirst, " I exclaimed, and made a sign to Duppo to support Arthur. I letmyself down. How thankful I was to find my feet on the ground, thoughthe water was up to my middle. "Here, Arthur, get on my back, " I criedout. Duppo helped him, and in another minute I was scrambling up thebank on the dry ground. Duppo let himself down as I had done, and Trueleaped after us. Scarcely were we on shore when the trunk we had leftfloated off, and we could see the mass, with several detached portions, gliding down the river. Where we were we could not tell, but daylightcoming on would soon reveal that to us. We sat ourselves down on thebank, thankful that we had escaped from the dangers to which we shouldhave been exposed had we remained longer on the floating island. 

CHAPTER SIXTEEN. 

OUR RETURN. 

Where we had been cast we could not tell. Daylight was increasing. Theclouds had cleared off. We should soon, we hoped, be able to see ourway through the forest, and ascertain our position. We all remainedsilent for some time, True lying down by my side, and placing his headupon my arm. While thus half between sleeping and waking, I heard arustling sound, and opening my eyes, half expecting to see a snakewriggling through the grass, they fell on a beautiful little lizardmaking its way down to the water. At that moment a pile of dry leaves, near which it was passing, was violently agitated, and from beneath themsprung a hairy monster, with long legs and a huge pair of forceps, andseized the lizard by the back of its neck, holding it at the same timewith its front feet, while the others were firmly planted in the groundto stop its progress. In vain the lizard struggled to free itself. Themonster spider held it fast, digging its forceps deeper and deeper intoits neck. I was inclined to go to the rescue of the little saurian, butcuriosity prevented me, as I wished to see the result of the attack, while I knew that it had already, in all probability, received itsdeath-wound. The struggles of the lizard grew feebler and feebler. Itslong tail, which it had kept whisking about, sank to the ground, and thespider began its meal off the yet quivering flesh. I touched Arthur, and pointed out what was taking place. "The horrid monster, " heexclaimed. "I must punish it for killing that pretty little lizard. "Before I could prevent him, he had jumped up and dealt the spider a blowon the head. 

On examining it I found that it was a great crab-spider, one of theformidable _arachnida_, which are said to eat young birds and othersmall vertebrates, though they generally, like other spiders, live uponinsects. This spider--the _mygagle avicularia_--will attackhumming-birds, and, indeed, other small specimens of the featheredtribe. When unable to procure its usual food of ants, it lies concealedunder leaves as this one had done, and darts out on any passing preywhich it believes it can manage; or if not, it climbs trees and seizesthe smaller birds when at roost, or takes the younger ones out of theirnests. It does not spin a web, but either burrows in the ground, orseeks a cavity in a rock, or in any hollow suited to its taste. 

I had never seen any creature of the spider tribe so monstrous orformidable. Under other circumstances I should have liked to havecarried the creature with us to show to my companions. As soon asArthur had killed it, Duppo jumped up and cut off the two forceps, whichwere as hard and strong as those of a crab; and I have since seen suchset in metal and used as toothpicks, under the belief that they containsome hidden virtue for curing the toothache. 

The rest had almost completely cured Arthur's sprained ankle, and onexamining his shoulder, I found that the arrow had inflicted but aslight wound, it having merely grazed the upper part after passingthrough his clothes. This, of course accounted for the littleinconvenience he had felt. Still, I believe, even had the wound beendeeper, the poison would not have affected him. I was indeed verythankful to see him so much himself again. 

We were now aroused, and, getting on our feet, looked about as to settlein which direction we should proceed. We soon found that we were at thewestern end of an island, and as the distant features of the landscapecame into view, we felt sure that it was the very one, near the entranceof the igarape, where we had first landed. We had supposed that we hadfloated much further down the river. 

"The first thing we have to do is to build a raft, and to get back toour friends, " I said to Arthur. "We shall have little difficulty, Ihope, in doing that. We must lose no time, and we shall be able toreach them before night. "

This discovery raised our spirits. We had first, however, to look outfor a bed of rushes to form the chief part of the intended construction. The experience we had gained gave us confidence. We explained to Duppowhat we proposed doing, and set forward along the northern shore of theisland. We were more likely to find on that side, in its little baysand inlets, the materials we required. The axe which Duppo had savedwas of great importance. We had made our way for a quarter of a milealong the beach, when the increasing density of the underwood threatenedto impede our further progress. Still we had not found what werequired. "I think I see the entrance of an inlet, and we shallprobably find reeds growing on its banks, " said Arthur. "We can still, I think, push our way across these fern-like leaves. "

We pressed forward, though so enormous were the leaves of which hespoke, that a single one was sufficient to hide him from my sight as hemade his way among them. Duppo and True followed close behind me, butTrue could only get on by making a succession of leaps, and sometimesDuppo had to stop and help him through the forked branches, by which heran a risk every instant of being caught as in a trap. 

"I think I see the mouth of the inlet close ahead, " said Arthur. "If wepush on a few yards more we shall reach it. Get the axe from Duppo andhand it to me; I must cut away some sipos and bushes, and then we shallget there. "

I did as he requested. I had broken down the vast leaves whichintervened between us, when I saw him beginning to use his axe. He hadmade but a few strokes when a loud savage roar, which came from a shortdistance off, echoed through the wood. His axe remained uplifted, anddirectly afterwards a sharp cry reached our ears. "That is a woman'svoice, " I exclaimed. "Where can it come from?" Duppo, as I spoke, sprang forward, and endeavoured to scramble through the underwood, asdid True. 

"Cut, Arthur, cut, " I exclaimed. "Unless we clear away those sipos weshall be unable to get there. "

Arthur needed no second bidding, and so actively did he wield his axe, that in a few seconds we were able to push onwards. Again the savageroar sounded close to us, but the cry was not repeated. "Oh, I amafraid the brute has killed the poor creature, for surely that must havebeen a human being who cried out, " exclaimed Arthur. 

We dashed on, when, reaching the water, we saw, scarcely twenty yardsoff, on the opposite bank, a canoe, in which were two persons. One laywith his head over the gunwale; the other, whom I at once recognised asour friend Illora, was standing up, no longer the somewhat retiring, quiet-looking matron, but more like a warrior Amazonian--her hairstreaming in the wind, her countenance stern, her eyes glaring, and witha sharp spear upraised in her hands, pointed towards a savage jaguar, which, with its paws on the gunwale, seemed about to spring into thecanoe. It was too evident that her husband had been seized, and to allappearance killed. What hope could she have of resisting the savagecreature with so slight a weapon. That very instant I dreaded it wouldspring on her. Poor Duppo shrieked out with terror; but though hismother's ears must have caught the sound, she did not withdraw herglance from the jaguar. She well knew that to do so would be fatal. Duppo made signs to me to fire, but I feared that in so doing I mightmiss the jaguar and wound one of his parents. Yet not a moment was tobe lost. My rifle, fortunately, was loaded with ball. I examined thepriming, and prayed that my arm might be nerved to take good aim. Againthe brute uttered a savage growl, and seemed on the point of springingforward, when I fired. It rose in the air and fell back among thefoliage, while Illora thrust her spear at it with all her force. Nottill then did she seem to be aware of our presence. Then waving to us, she seized the paddle and brought the canoe over to where we werestanding. Duppo leaped in and lifted up his father. The blood hadforsaken his dark countenance; his eyes were closed, his head wasfearfully torn--the greater part of the hair having been carried away. Illora knelt down by his side, resting his head upon her arm. Arthurand I felt his pulse. It still beat. We made signs to his wife that hewas alive, for she had evidently thought him dead. I fortunately had alarge handkerchief in my pocket, and dipping it in water, bound up hishead. He appeared to revive slightly. Illora then made signs to usthat she wished to go down the river. We did not even stop to look whathad become of the jaguar, convinced that he was killed. No time was tobe lost. Having placed Maono on some leaves in the stern of the canoe, she seized one of the paddles and urged it out into the main stream. Duppo took another paddle. Fortunately there were two spare ones at thebottom of the canoe. Arthur and I seized them. Illora paddled away, knowing well that the life of her husband depended on her exertions. However callous may be the feelings of Indians generally, both she andDuppo showed that they possessed the same which might have animated thebreasts of white people. Every now and then I saw her casting looks ofanxiety down on her husband's face. He remained unconscious, but stillI had hopes that if attended to at once he might recover. 

"I am thankful a jaguar did not spring out on us as we were passingthrough that thick underwood, " observed Arthur. "How utterly unable weshould have been to defend ourselves. "

"Yes, indeed; and still more so that we did not take up our abodethere, " I remarked. "Probably the island is infested with jaguars, andwe should have run a great chance of being picked off by them. "

"I doubt if more than one or two would find support there, " he remarked. "How that one, indeed, came there is surprising. "

"Possibly he was carried there on a floating island, " I answered. "Idoubt whether intentionally he would have crossed from the mainland; forthough jaguars can swim, I suppose, like other animals, they do notwillingly take to the water. " This, I suspect, was the case. 

We tried to learn from Illora how her husband had been attacked. Shegave us to understand that, after looking about for us, they had put inthere for the night, and were still asleep when the savage brute hadsprung out of the thicket and seized Maono. She heard him cry out, andhad sprung to her feet and seized her lance just at the moment we hadfound them. 

"We should be doubly thankful that we were cast on the island andarrived in time to rescue our friend, " I observed to Arthur. 

As may be supposed, however, we did not speak much, as we had to exertourselves to the utmost to impel the canoe through the water. I was, however, thankful when at last we saw the roof of our hut in thedistance. We shouted as we approached, "Ellen! Maria!" Great was ourdelight to see Ellen and Maria, with Domingos, come down to the edge ofthe water to receive us. As I jumped out, my affectionate little sisterthrew her arms round my neck and burst into tears. 

"Oh, we have been so anxious about you!" she exclaimed; "but you havecome at last. And what has happened to the poor Indian? Have you beenattacked again by the Majeronas?"

I told her briefly what had occurred, and set her anxiety at rest withregard to our parents by giving her Fanny's note, and telling her how wehad found it. I need not repeat her expressions of joy andthankfulness. I then asked for John, as he understood more aboutdoctoring than any of us. He had gone away with his gun to shoot onlyjust before, and might not be back for some time. The Indians were attheir own settlement, a couple of miles off. 

"What can we do with him!" I exclaimed. 

"Why not take him to the recluse?" said Ellen. "He will know how totreat him. "

I made Illora comprehend what Ellen proposed. She signified that thatwas what she herself wished to do. 

"Then, Ellen, we must leave you again, " I said. "We must do our best tosave the life of our friend. "

Arthur agreed with me, and entreating Ellen to keep up her spirits tillour return, we again, greatly to Illora's satisfaction, jumped into thecanoe. "We hope to be back to-morrow morning!" I cried out, as weshoved off. 

Though somewhat fatigued, we exerted ourselves as much as before, andhaving the current in our favour, made good progress. Examining thebanks as we went along, I saw how almost impossible it would have beento have effected a landing on that dreadful night of the storm, when wehad the raft in tow, for one dense mass of foliage fringed the wholeextent, with the exception of a short distance, where I recognised thesand-bank on which Arthur had been nearly killed by the anaconda. Maonoevery now and then uttered a low groan when his wife bathed his headwith water--the best remedy, I thought, she could apply. 

The voyage was longer than I had expected, for nearly two hours hadpassed before we reached the mouth of the igarape, near which the hut ofthe recluse stood. Having secured the canoe, Illora lifted up herhusband by the shoulders, while we put the paddles under his body, andhis son carried his feet. We then hastened on towards the hut. As wecame in sight of it, Duppo shouted out to announce our approach to therecluse. No one appeared. The door, I saw, was closed, but the ladderwas down. We stopped as we got up to it, when Duppo, springing up thesteps, knocked at the door. My heart misgave me. The recluse might beill. Then I thought of the ladder being down, and concluded that he wasabsent from home. Again Duppo knocked, and obtaining no reply, openedthe door and cautiously looked in. No one was within. What were we todo? Were we to wait for the return of the owner, or go back to oursettlement? I advised that Maono should be carried within, and proposedwaiting till he appeared. We lifted him up and placed him under theshade of the verandah. Meantime Duppo collected a number of driedleaves, with which to form a bed, as he was not in a fit state to beplaced in a hammock. I then advised Illora to send Duppo for water, while Arthur and I went out and searched for the recluse, in the hopethat he might be in the neighbourhood. We first went to his plantation, thinking that he might be there, but could nowhere find him. Itappeared, indeed, as if it had not been lately visited, as it was in afar more disordered state than when we had before seen it. We wereafraid of going into the forest, lest we should lose our way; wetherefore turned back and proceeded up the igarape, which would serve asa guide to us. It grew wilder and wilder as we went on. At length wereached a spot which we could not possibly pass. The trunks of themighty trees grew close to the water, their roots striking down into it, while thousands of sipos and air-plants hung in tangled masses overhead, and huge ferns with vast leaves formed a dense fringe along the banks. Near us the trunk of an aged tree, bending over the water, covered withparasitic plants, had been seized by the sipos from the opposite side, and hung, as it were, caught in their embrace, forming a complete bridgeacross the igarape. I have already described these wonderfulair-plants. They here appeared in greater numbers and more varied formthan any we had yet seen. Flights of macaws and parroquets flew hereand there through the openings, or climbed up and down, cawing andchattering in various tones. Although I should have liked to haveobtained some, I saw that, should I kill any, they would have fallenwhere it would be impossible to get at them, for even True could nothave made his way through the wood; and I was afraid that if they fellinto the water, he might be snapped up by an alligator who might belurking near. 

We were on the point of turning away, when Arthur exclaimed, "I seesomething moving high up the igarape, among those huge leaves. " Iscrambled down to where he was standing, and presently, amid the dimlight, a human figure came into view. At first it seemed as if he wasstanding on the water, but as he slowly approached we saw that a raft ofsome sort was beneath his feet. He was hauling himself along by thebranches, which hung low down, or the tall reeds or leaves fringing thebanks. 

"I do believe it is the recluse, " whispered Arthur to me. "What canhave happened to him?" We waited till he came nearer. He looked evenwilder and more careworn than usual. He had no covering on his headexcept his long hair, while he had thrown off his coat, which lay on theraft. Slowly and not without difficulty he worked his way on. He didnot perceive us till he was close to where we stood. 

"Can we help you, sir?" I said. "We came to look for you. "

"What induced you to do that?" he asked. "I thought no human beingwould care for me. "

"But we do, sir, " said Arthur, almost involuntarily. "You can be ofservice to one of your friends, a poor Indian, who has been severelyhurt. "

"Ah! there is something to live for then!" he exclaimed, looking up atus. "But I must have your assistance too. I have injured my leg; andhad I not been able to reach the igarape and construct this raft, I musthave perished in the forest. I have with difficulty come thus far, andshould have had to crawl to my hut, as I purposed doing, had you notappeared to assist me. My canoe I had left a league or two furtheraway, and could not reach it. "

"Oh, we will gladly help you, sir, " exclaimed Arthur; "and if you willlet us, we will tow the raft down nearer to the hut. "

"It is strange that you should have come; and I accept your offer, "answered the recluse. 

We soon cut some long sipos, and fastening them together we secured oneend to the raft. The recluse sat down, evidently much exhausted by hisprevious exertions; and while we towed the raft along, he kept it offthe bank with a long pole. When we got down opposite the hut, weassisted him to land. He could not move, however, without greatdifficulty. 

"Let me go and call Mora and Duppo, that we may carry you in the litteron which I was brought to your hut, " said Arthur. "No, no; I can geton, with your assistance, without that, " answered the recluse, placinghis arms on our shoulders. He groaned several times, showing the painhe suffered; but still he persevered, and at length we reached the hut. We had great difficulty in getting him up the ladder. When he sawMaono, he seemed to forget all about himself. 

"My hurt can wait, " he observed. "We must attend to this poor fellow. "Having examined the Indian's head, he produced a salve, which he spreadon a cloth, and again bound it up. "A European would have died withsuch a wound, " he observed; "but with his temperate blood, he will, Ihope, escape fever. "

Having attended to his guest, he allowed Arthur and I to assist him inbinding up his leg, and in preparing a couch for him in his own room, instead of the hammock in which he usually slept. He explained toIllora how she was to treat her husband, and gave her a cooling draughtwhich he was to take at intervals during the night. Having slung hishammock in the outside room, Arthur and I lay down, one at each end;while the Indian woman sat up to keep watch, and Duppo coiled himselfaway on one of the chests. 

At daybreak, Arthur, hearing the recluse move, got up and asked him ifhe could be of any service. 

"Yes, my good lad, " answered our host; "you can help me to bind thislimb of mine afresh. Bring me yonder jar of ointment!" I heard whatwas said, though I could not see what was going forward. "Thank you, mylad, " said the recluse. "No woman's hand could have done it better. Now go and see how the Indian has passed the night. "

Arthur came out, and having looked at Maono, reported that he was stillsleeping quietly. 

"He must not be disturbed then, " was the answer. "When he wakes I willattend to him. Now, go and see what food you can obtain. Myplantations will afford you some; or if not, your brother will be ableto shoot some birds. He will find troops of toucans and parrots not faroff. Some farinha will be sufficient for me. "

"Harry will, I am sure, do his best to kill some game, " said Arthur;"but you called him my brother. Though he is a dear friend, we are notrelated. He has father, and mother, and sisters; and the gentleman yousaw is his brother; but I have no relations--none to care for me exceptthese kind friends. "

"I know not if you are to be pitied then, " said the recluse. "If youhave none to care for you, you are free to take your own way. "

"Oh, but I do care for the kind friends who brought me out here, "exclaimed Arthur. "And I feel that I care for you; and I ought to doso, as you took care of me and nursed me when I was ill. " The reclusewas silent, and Arthur came into the larger apartment. 

The recluse was sufficiently recovered during the day to be placed inhis more airy hammock in the outer room. His eyes, I observed, wereconstantly following Arthur. "It is strange, " I heard him whispering tohimself. "There is a resemblance, and yet, it is so unlikely. "

Maono was going on favourably; and the recluse was able to crawl fromhis hammock to attend to him as often as was necessary. I was veryanxious to get back to Ellen and John; especially to assist in finishingthe canoe, that we might at soon as possible recommence our voyage downthe river. I proposed, therefore, that Arthur and I should set off atonce, as I thought we could find our way through the forest withoutdifficulty. The recluse seemed far from pleased at my proposal. 

"I would not deprive you of the society of your friend, " he said, "buthe will be of great assistance to me if he can remain; and you can callfor him when you come down the river. Instead of him, take the boyDuppo with you. He may be of more use in guiding you through theforest. The Indian woman will probably wish to remain with herhusband. "

I found that Arthur was ready to stay with the recluse. "Poor man, " hesaid, "I may, I think, be of some service in soothing his mind, as wellas assisting him as he wishes. I do not like to leave you, Harry; butif you do not object, I will remain. I wish, however, that you would goin the canoe. "

"She is too heavy, I fear, to paddle against the stream, " I answered;"and if I have Duppo as a guide, I would rather return through theforest. "

I explained this to the Indians, who at once consented that Duppo shouldreturn with me; while Illora remained to nurse her husband. As therewas time to reach our location before dark, I begged to set off at once. Duppo and I stored our wallets with fresh farinha; and I hoped to killa toucan, or a brace of parrots, on our way, which would afford ussufficient food. As no time was to be lost, we set off at once. Dupposhowed some affection when parting from his mother. She was certainlyless demonstrative, however, than a European would have been. He wasevidently very proud of being allowed to attend on me. 

He led the way with unerring instinct through the forest; and I feltthat there was no danger of losing the path, as John and I had done whentravelling in the same direction. I kept my eyes about me as weproceeded, hoping to shoot some game, as we had but a limited supply offood. I got a shot at a toucan, which was climbing with bill and clawsup a tree above our heads. It hung on to the branch for an instant, andI was afraid I should lose it. Its claws and beak, however, soon letgo, and down it came, its beautiful plumage shining in the sun as itfell. I could scarcely bring myself to kill it; but I had to confessthat necessity has no laws, and should as willingly at that moment haveshot the most gaily-coloured macaw or parroquet. It would, however, afford Duppo and I, and True, but a scanty meal; I therefore kept my gunready for another shot. 

Going on a little further, directly in front of us a beautiful deerstarted up from behind a thicket. True darted forward, and flew at thecreature, which turned round and round to defend itself. I thus had theopportunity of having a good aim, and wounded the deer in the neck. Duppo started off in pursuit. He had brought his father's blow-pipeinstead of his own, which he had lost. It was too heavy, however, forhim to manage. I thought we should have lost the deer; but kneelingdown, he raised it on a hanging sipo, and let fly an arrow, which struckthe animal. He had time to send another shaft before the deer got outof sight. Then calling to me, he urged me to pursue it. Away we wentthrough the forest, True at the heels of the deer, and I following Duppoas closely as I could. Still, notwithstanding its wounded condition, there seemed every probability of its escaping. Duppo thoughtotherwise, and continued the pursuit; though I could not perceive eitherthe animal or its track. He was right, however; for in ten minutes weagain caught sight of it, moving slowly. Just as we reached it, it sankto the ground. It was the first deer we had killed; though I had seenseveral scampering in the distance through the more open parts of theforest, and I believe they are numerous along the banks of the Amazonand its tributaries. We packed up as much of the flesh as we couldcarry, and hung the remainder on the branch of a tree. 

We were walking on with our loads, when a loud crashing sound echoedthrough the forest. I had never seen Duppo show any sign of fearbefore, but he now came close up to me, trembling all over. "What isthe matter?" I asked. All was again silent for some minutes. Thencame from the far distance the melancholy howl, which had often kept usawake at night--the cries, I felt sure, of howling monkeys. They againceased; and a loud clang sounded through the forest, such as I had readof in that wonderful romance, "The Castle of Otranto. " Duppo grew moreand more alarmed; and now caught hold of my jacket, as if I couldprotect him. I was puzzled to account for the sound; but still I sawnothing very alarming in it. When, however, a loud piercing cry rentthe air, coming, I could not tell from whence, I confess that I feltsomewhat uncomfortable. Poor Duppo trembled all over, and clung to myarm, exclaiming, "_Curupira_! _curupira_!" True pricked up his ears, and barked in return. "Do not be afraid, Duppo, " I said, trying toencourage him. "It may have been only the shriek of a monkey, caught bya jaguar or puma. " He, however, seemed in no way disposed to besatisfied by any explanations which I could suggest of the noises we hadheard. 

As we proceeded, he tried to explain to me that he was sure that thatpart of the forest was haunted by a spirit, which made the noises. Itwas like a huge monkey, covered with long shaggy hair. He committed, hesaid, all sorts of mischief. He had a wife and family, whom he taughtto do as much harm as himself; and that, if they caught us, they wouldcertainly play us some trick. I tried to laugh away his fears, but notwith much success. 

At last he gained a little more confidence, and walked on ahead to showthe way. No other sound was heard. He looked back anxiously to seethat I was close to him. 

Among the fruits I observed numbers of a curious bean-like description. Several species had pods fully a yard long hanging to delicate stalks, and, of course, very slender. Others were four inches wide, and short. While I was looking down to pick up some of the curious beans I havementioned, I saw the big head of a creature projecting from a hole. Fora moment I thought it was a large serpent, but presently out hopped ahuge toad in pursuit of some little animal which had incautiouslyventured near its den. Presently it gave sound to a most extraordinaryloud snoring kind of bellow, when True dashed forward and caught it. Irescued the creature before his teeth had crushed it. On recovering itsliberty, it croaked away as lustily as before. On measuring it, I foundit fully seven inches long, and as many broad. It had a considerableenlargement of the bone over the eyes, while the glands behind the headwere of great size. I knew it thus to be the agua toad--_Bufa agua_. Ihad no doubt that he and his brothers produced some of the hideousnoises we had heard at night. I have since read that these toads willkill rats, and that a number of them were carried to Jamaica for thepurpose of keeping down the swarms of rats which devastated theplantations of that island. I found, indeed, the bones of severalrodent animals near its den. It was somewhat remarkable, but a fewminutes afterwards I saw another toad lying quietly on the ground. Ikept True back, not wishing to let him hurt the creature. I saw somesmall animals moving on its back, and stooping down, what was mysurprise to see a number of little toads scrambling out of holesapparently in its skin. First out came one, and slipping down the fatsides of the big toad, hopped along on the ground. Another little headdirectly afterwards burst its way through the skin, and imitated theexample of its small brother. Several others followed. Even Duppo, inspite of his late fright, could not help bursting out laughing. Thecolour of the big toad was a brownish-olive and white below; but thehead was most extraordinary, as it had a snout almost pointed, thenostrils forming a kind of leathery tube. The creature was, I at onceguessed, the Surinam toad--_Pipa Americana_--which I knew was found, notonly in Surinam, but in other parts of this region. It is, though oneof the ugliest of its race, one of the most interesting. The male toad, as soon as the eggs are laid, takes them in its paws, and places them onthe back of the female. Here, by means of a glutinous secretion, theyadhere, and are imbedded, as it were, in a number of cells formed forthem in the skin. Ultimately a membrane grows over the cells and closesthem up. The eggs are here hatched, and the young remain in them tilltheir limbs have grown and they can manage to take care of themselves. The skin of the back is very thick, and allows room for the formation ofthe cells, each of which is sufficiently large to contain a small-sizedbean placed in it edgeways. As soon as the brood have left the cells, they are again closed, giving a very wrinkled appearance to the back. Duppo made signs to me that the creature was good to eat; but I mustsay, I should have been very hard pressed for food before I should havebeen tempted to try it. I succeeded in dragging True away, andprevented him interfering with the family arrangements of the wonderful_batrachian_. 

We met with several other curious frogs and toads, but the creatureswhich abounded everywhere, and unfortunately surpassed all others innumbers, were the ants--_termites_. The termites, I should remark, differ from the true ants by appearing out of the egg with their limbsformed, and in the same shape they bear through life. Some we met within our walk were an inch and a quarter in length, and stout inproportion. The creatures were marching in single file, coming out froma hole formed in the roots of a small tree. I took up one to examineit, and received a sting for my pains, but the pain soon went off. Weall suffered much more from the stings of several smaller ants, especially the fire-ants, by which we had on more than one occasion beenattacked. 

Although I had twice before made the trip through the forest, I stillfelt certain that we were far from the hut, when Duppo signified to methat we should soon reach it. Just then I heard a shot, and amagnificent macaw fell down a short distance ahead of us. True dashedforward, and directly afterwards I heard John's voice. I hurried on. 

"Yes, we are all well, " answered John to my inquiries, as he took myload of venison and slung it over his more sturdy shoulders. "The canoeis finished, and we were only waiting for your return to set out. Nopositive news about our parents; but the Indians describe having seen acanoe with white people, women among them, pass down the river severalweeks ago Ellen feels sure it was they who were seen; though, as issometimes the case with her, dear girl, she can give no other reasonthan her own feelings. I am disappointed at not seeing Arthur; but wemust put in to take him on board, and save him the journey through theforest. "

Of course John wanted to know all about our adventures, and I brieflyrecounted them as we walked homewards. 

"It is, indeed, a mercy that your life was saved, " he observed. "Iwould almost advise you not to tell Ellen all the fearful dangers youwent through; it will make her nervous, for she even now sometimesdreads that the Majeronas will again attack us. "

"They will certainly not come so far by water, " I remarked; "and ourfriends will give us warning should they venture by land. Still, as thecanoe is ready, we ought not to delay in commencing our voyage. "

As soon as we emerged from the thick part of the forest, we caught sightof Ellen watching for us in front of the hut. She came running forward, followed by Maria and Oria, and not only by Nimble and Toby, but a wholetroop of other creatures. John laughed. "There comes our littlesister, " he said, "with her happy family. She and her young companionshave not been idle. It is wonderful how they have contrived to tame allthose creatures. "

In another minute Ellen and I were in each other's arms. She lookedvery well, and glad to see me, but her eye roved about in quest ofArthur. She was satisfied, however, when I told her that he hadremained behind to attend to the recluse. 

"I am not surprised at it, " she said; "for I could not help fancyingthat there was some relationship between the two. Our strange friendwas evidently more interested in Arthur than in any of us. In spite ofhis cold and repelling manner, Arthur, too, took greatly to him. However, perhaps I am wrong. "

"Yes; I suspect, Ellen, it is but one of your fancies. You would likeit to be the case; it would be so interesting and romantic, and so youcannot help thinking that it must be so, " observed John. 

Ellen was eager at once to introduce me to her pets. Nimble and Tobyknew me immediately, and climbed up my back without hesitation. 

"Here, " said Ellen, "is a dear little bird. " It was a small heron of avery graceful shape. The plumage was variegated with bars and spots ofseveral colours, as are the wings of certain moths. She called it, andit immediately came up to her with a peculiarly dainty, careful gait. An insect was crawling along the ground. It immediately afterwardspierced it with its slender beak, and gobbled it up. It was the _ardeahelias_. John said he had seen the birds perched on the lower branchesof trees in shady spots: their note is a soft, long-drawn whistle; theybuild their nests in trees, of clay, very beautifully constructed. 

"Now I must introduce my _curassow_ turkey, " she said, calling anothervery handsome bird, almost as large as an ordinary turkey. It was of adark-violet colour, with a purplish-green gloss on the back and breast. The lower part was of the purest white, while the crest was of a brightgolden-yellow, greatly increasing the beauty of the bird. John calledit the crested curassow--the _crax alector_. 

"See, " she said, "I have greatly increased the number of my featheredfriends. Look at this beautiful marianna. "

It was a small parrot, with a black head, a white breast, and orangeneck and thighs--a most lovely little creature. As soon as she calledit, it came down from its perch and sprang upon her wrist. When sheagain let it go, off it went, poking its head into the various articleson the verandah, examining a basket of fruits which Oria had justbrought in, and the pots of which Domingos had charge; now pecking atone thing, now another. Our Indian friend had brought her anotherparrot called an _anaca_. This was also a beautiful bird, its breastand belly banded with blue and red, while the back of the neck and headwere covered with long bright-red feathers margined with blue. Trueapproaching it, up went the crest, looking remarkably handsome. Fromthis crest it obtains the name of the hawk-head parrot. It came whencalled, but quickly retired in rather a solemn fashion to its perch. 

"Do you know, " said Ellen, "Oria has brought me that beautiful littleduck you described. I would rather take that home with me than all theother pets, and yet I should be sorry to lose any of them. "

"I tell Ellen that her menagerie is a mere bait to jaguars or boas, orother prowling animals of the forest, " observed John. "What a nicebreakfast one of them would make if it found its way into oursettlement!"

"You shall not frighten me with any such ideas, " she answered; "and Ihope before we leave the country that I may add many more to mycollection. But I have not shown you my humming-bird yet, " she said. "I keep it in a cage in the house for fear the others should get at it;but it takes a flight by itself every day, and comes back again when itwants a sip of sirrup, or wishes to go to roost. I must show you somenests of the beautiful little birds which have built not far off. Wouldyou like to go and see them at once?"

Knowing it would please her, while Domingos and Maria were preparing ourevening meal, I accompanied her to a little distance, where, hanging tosome long, pendant leaves, she pointed out two little purse-shapednests, composed, apparently, of some cottony material bound togetherwith spider-web. A graceful little bird was sitting in each of them, with tails having long, pointed feathers. The upper part of theirbodies were of a green bronze, except the tail-coverts, which were of asomewhat rusty red; while the tails themselves were of a bronzed tint, broadly tipped with white. I knew them by the shape of their bills andtheir nests to belong to the genus _Phaethornis_. 

"They are quite accustomed to me now, " she said, "and will not fly awayeven when I go near them. "

While we were looking, the mate of one of the birds came up and perchedclose above the nest. As we were going away I saw two others pass byus, of the same size, it seemed to me. Another settled on a flower nearat hand, when the idea seized me that I could catch it. I struck itwith my hat, and down it fell. Ellen uttered a cry of sorrow; butstooping down, what was my surprise to find, instead of a humming-bird, a moth so exactly in shape and appearance like the humming-birds, thatit was no wonder I had been deceived. 

"You would not have killed a humming-bird so easily, " said Ellen; "but Iam sorry for the poor moth. "

The moth, however, though stunned, was not killed. On taking it to thehut I compared it with her tame pet, and was struck by the remarkablesimilarity in the shape of the head and position of the eye. Theextended proboscis represented the long beak of the bird, while at theend of the moth's body was a brush of long hairs, which, as it flewalong, being expanded, looked very much like the feathers of the bird'stail. Oria, when she saw the moth, told Ellen that it would some dayturn into a bird; and Ellen, I believe, did not succeed in persuadingher that such would certainly never happen. The resemblance, of course, is merely superficial, their internal construction being totallydifferent. I have not as yet described nearly all Ellen's new pets; butjust then, as I was very hungry, I had something else to think of. 

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN. 

OUR VOYAGE RECOMMENCED. 

I was awoke the following morning by an unusual commotion among ourfour-footed and feathered friends. The monkeys were chattering away andrunning along the rafters, up and down the posts; the parrots weretalking energetically together; while True every now and then ran to thedoor and gave a peculiar bark, coming back again under my hammock. Johnand Domingos were quickly aroused by his barks. "What can be thematter!" I exclaimed. "Some animal is outside, " answered John, springing out of his hammock. "It has probably been trying to find anentrance into our hut. If a puma or jaguar, we will soon settle him. "

"Oria thinks it is some big serpent, from the way the animals arefrightened, " said Ellen, from her room. 

"Whether big serpent or savage beast, we need not fear it, my sister, "answered John, going to the door, which we always kept closed at nightfor safety's sake. 

What was our dismay to see a huge serpent coiled round the post of theverandah, with its head moving about as if in March of prey. Dupposprang forward and shut to the door, exclaiming, "_Boiguaeu_!" EvenTrue ran behind us, not liking to face the monster. From the glimpse wegot of it, it seemed of enormous size, and might readily have crushedtwo or three people together in the folds of its huge body. John and Iwent back and got our guns ready, while Domingos and Duppo kept guard atthe door. 

"I said those pets of Ellen's would serve as baits some day for one ofthose creatures!" exclaimed John. "However, if we can hit it in thehead, we need not fear its doing us any harm. "

Having carefully examined the loading of our firearms, we told Domingosagain to open the door. He seemed, however, very unwilling to do so, alleging that the serpent might dart in and seize some one before wecould kill it. Not till John had insisted upon it would he consent. "Oh, my dear young masters, do take care!" he exclaimed. "If you wouldbut wait, perhaps the creature would crawl away. Suppose you miss it, you do not know what may happen. "

"Now, " cried John, "calm your fears, and open the door. "

Domingos on this pulled open the door, springing back himself at thesame time, while John and I stepped forward with our rifles, ready tofire. The serpent was gone. We looked about in every direction. Itwas not pleasant to know that so dangerous a monster was in ourneighbourhood. Domingos said he was sure it was hid away somewhere, andDuppo agreed with him. We hunted about anxiously, but nowhere could wediscover it. Believing that it had altogether gone away, we told Ellenand her companions that they might venture out. Ellen came fearlessly, but Maria and the Indian girl were evidently far from satisfied, and Isaw them glancing round anxiously in every direction. However, as thesnake did not appear, we had breakfast, and then went down to work atthe canoe. John told me that he had engaged four Indians to paddle her, and that he expected them that morning. We were working away, when weheard a low cry, and Oria was seen running towards us with looks ofterror in her countenance. She uttered a few hurried words to herbrother, the meaning of which we could not understand; but he soonshowed us by signs that something had happened at the hut. On gettingnear--for it was concealed where we were at work--we saw, to our dismay, the boa-constrictor coiled as before round one of the outer supports, and evidently intent on making an entrance into the hut. The door wasclosed. We heard Ellen's and Maria's voices calling from within. Wehad unfortunately left our guns in the verandah, and could not get atthem without approaching dangerously near to the huge reptile. Everymoment I dreaded to see it break through the slight door. John andDomingos had hatchets in their belts, but we were possessed of no otherweapons. How to get rid of the creature was the question. We shoutedat the top of our voices, hoping to frighten it away, but our cries hadno effect. Every moment we knew, too, that it might come down andattack us. Ellen and Maria were naturally in a great state of alarm. They had secured all their pets, though John suggested that bysacrificing some of them they might possibly satisfy the boa. Heshouted out to them a recommendation to that effect. "No, Senor John, no!" answered Maria from within. "Senora Ellen says she would remainhere for a week, rather than give up one to the horrid monster. "

As we stood at a respectful distance, the serpent now and then turnedhis head, as if he would dart at us, when Domingos cried out, "Oh, myyoung masters! fly! fly! The boiguaeu is coming!"

"We must cut its head off if it does!" exclaimed John, "I have a greatmind to dash in and get hold of my gun. "

I entreated him not to attempt so rash an experiment. While we werewatching the serpent, the Indians we had been expecting appeared, emerging from the thick part of the forest, Duppo and Oria ran towardsthem. They seemed to be telling them about the boa. Instead of comingon to our assistance, however, away they started back into the forest. 

"The cowards!" exclaimed John; "they have run off and left us to fightthe battle by ourselves. "

"I am not quite so certain of that, " I answered. 

We waited. Still the boa did not move, but continued watching the door. Probably through one of the chinks its eye had caught sight of Nimbleor True, who had also fortunately been inside. After waiting till ourpatience was nearly exhausted, the Indians re-appeared, carrying betweenthem a young peccary, while others carried long coils of sipos. At somelittle distance from the hut they stopped, when one of them climbed atree, to which he secured a loop of sipos, passing through it anotherlong line. At the end of this a loop was formed. With a stake theysecured the peccary close to the loop, so that to get at it the serpentmust run its head through the noose. The peccary, having its snout tiedup, was unable to squeak. As soon as the arrangement was made, theyretired to a distance, holding the other end of the line. One of themthen unloosed the peccary's muzzle, when the creature instantly began togrunt. At that instant the serpent turned its head, and, unwinding itshuge body, made its way towards the animal. In another moment almostthe peccary was struck, and the huge serpent began to fold its bodyround it. Its own head, however, was meantime caught in the noose, butthis it apparently did not feel, and opening its wide jaws, began tosuck in the animal. As it did so the Indians pulled the noose tighterand tighter. The teeth of the reptile are so formed that it could notagain force the peccary out of its mouth, while the noose prevented itswallowing it. John and I eagerly sprang forward and seized our guns, but Duppo now coming up, told us that there was no necessity to usethem, as in a short time the boa would be dead. 

As the boa lay on the ground John boldly rushed up and gave it a blowwith his axe. The natives now without fear forced their spears into thecreature's mouth, and dragged out the mangled body of the peccary. Thisdone, they hoisted the serpent up by the neck to the branch of the tree, whence it hung down, showing us its full length, which could not havebeen much less than twenty-five feet. To make sure that it would notcome to life again, one of them climbed up, and with his knife splitopen the body. Even during the short time it had coiled itself roundthe peccary it had broken every bone in the creature's body. I observedthat it placed coil above coil, as if to increase the force of thepressure, and it had instantly begun to swallow its prey without firstlubricating it, as it is erroneously described as doing. The part ofthe peccary which had entered the mouth was, however, covered withsaliva, but this had only been poured upon it in the act of swallowing. 

We thanked the Indians for the assistance they had given us in killingour enemy. They had come, they said, to finish the canoe, and also toinquire about Maono and Illora, whose absence had caused the tribe greatalarm. They had also brought us some mandioca-flour and a supply offruits. Farinha or flour, I should say, is produced from the sameroot--cassava, or manioc--as is tapioca, and is like it in appearance, only of a yellower colour, caused by the woody fibre mixed with the purestarch which forms the tapioca. There were also several cabbage-palms, always a welcome addition to our vegetables. Among the fruit were somepine-apples, which had been procured in a dry treeless district--so weunderstood--some miles in the interior. 

Ellen begged that they would remove the body of the serpent to adistance, as she did not at all like seeing it hanging up to the treenear us. Fastening sipos to it, they accordingly dragged it away. Bythe following morning not a particle of it remained, it having furnisheda feast to several armadillos, vultures, and other birds of prey. 

The last evening of our stay had arrived. Our provision were ready forembarking, and all our goods packed up. I was awoke by hearing Domingoscry out--

"Some rats, or other creatures, have got into the hut, and are eating upthe farinha. "

On striking a light, we hurried to the corner in which our provisionswere stored, intending to drive out the intruders, when, instead ofrats, we found a column of ants passing to and fro between the door andour baskets of food. Each of them carried a grain of a tapioca-likesubstance as big as itself. In vain we tried to drive them off. Thoughhundreds were killed, others came on in a most determined manner, as ifthey had resolved to rob us at all cost. At last John proposed that weshould blow them up. We called out to Ellen not to be alarmed, and thenspread a train of powder across the column, when we set it on fire. This seemed to stagger them, but others still came on. Not till we hadperformed the operation three times did they seem to discover theirdanger, when the first coming on turned round and warned those behind, and the whole took their departure. The next morning we traced them toa spot at a considerable distance, where we came upon a mound of earthbetween two or three feet high, and nearly eleven yards incircumference. This we found was the dome which protected the entranceto the abode of our visitors of the previous night. It was a wonderthey had not found us out before. It was of a different colour to thesurrounding ground. This was owing to its being composed of theunder-soil brought up from below. We perceived a number of small holesin the sides--the commencement of galleries. We discovered, on digginginto it, that each led to a broad gallery four feet in diameter. Thisagain led down into the centre of the wonderful habitation. 

"Hilloa!" cried Arthur; "here comes Birnam Wood in miniature. "

He was at some distance from us. On going up to him we found whatlooked like a vast number of leaves moving along over the ground. Onexamining them, we discovered that each was of the size and shape of asmall coin, and carried by an ant. On tracing them back we found thetree at which they were at work. It was covered by vast multitudes. Each ant was working away at a leaf, cutting out a circle with its sharpscissor-like jaws. As soon as the operation was complete, it lifted itup vertically and marched away towards the mound. As one lot oflabourers descended, others ascended and took their places, so that in ashort time the tree was denuded of leaves. These leaves were used, wediscovered, to thatch the domes of their galleries and halls to keepthem dry, and protect the young broods in the nests beneath them. Onebody of workers was employed in bringing the leaves which they cast downon the hillock, while another placed them so as to form the roof, covering them with a layer of earth brought up in single grains withprodigious labour from the soil below. There appeared to be threedifferent classes of workers--some employed entirely below, othersacting as masons or tilers, and others entirely engaged in bringing thematerials from a distance. There were, besides, soldiers armed withpowerful mandibles, who accompanied the workers for defence, and walkedbackwards and forwards near them without doing anything. They have alsoa queen-ant, who dwells in the centre of their castle, and is engaged inlaying the eggs, not only to furnish broods for the colony, but to sendforth vast numbers of winged ants to form new ones. At the commencementof the year the workers can be seen clearing the galleries, andevidently preparing for some important event. Soon afterwards a vastnumber of winged males and females issue forth, the females measuringtwo and a quarter inches in expanse of wing, though the males are muchsmaller. Few of them, however, escape to enjoy existence, for they areimmediately set upon by numbers of insectivorous animals and devoured. The few females who escape become the mothers of new colonies. 

While digging, we came upon a snake-like creature about a foot long. Directly Duppo saw it he entreated us not to touch it, as it wasfearfully poisonous, and called it the mother of the saubas. We, however, knew it to be perfectly harmless. He declared that it had ahead at each end of its body. We convinced him, however, that he waswrong, by showing him the head and tail. The body was covered withsmall scales, the eyes were scarcely perceptible, and the mouth was likethat of a lizard. He asserted that the sauba-ants are very muchattached to the snake, and that, if we took it away, they would alldesert the spot. In reality, the snake found a convenient hiding-placein the galleries of the ants, while, when in want of food, it could atall times make a substantial meal off them. When the ant-eater opensone of these galleries, the workers immediately run off and hidethemselves, while the soldier-ants rush forth to attack the intruder, and, of course, immediately fall victims; thus preserving, by thesacrifice of their own lives, the rest of the community. The peculiarmotion of the snake we found, scientifically called _amphisbaenae_, wriggling as it does backwards and forwards, has given rise to the ideaof its having two heads. Duppo told us many other stories about it, which I have no space to mention. These ants sometimes form mounds fromthirty to forty yards in circumference, and have been known to burroweven under rivers. As they attack fruit-trees, they are a great pest tothe inhabitants of the settled parts of the country, and are sometimesdestroyed by forcing fumes of sulphur through their galleries. Theirchief use in the economy of Nature seems to be the consumption ofdecayed vegetable matter, as they are exclusively vegetarians. 

While the Indians were getting the boat down to the water, and Ellen andher attendants, assisted by Domingos, were packing up, John, Duppo, andI took a ramble into the woods to kill some more game, as we were notlikely to have anything but fish for some time to come. As we weregoing along, I heard the twittering of some dull-plumaged birds in thebushes, and was trying to get a shot at them, when I saw John, who was alittle way ahead, jumping about in the most extraordinary manner. Duppocried out, on seeing him, "Tauoca!" and made a sign to us to run off, himself setting the example. John followed. "I have been attacked byan army of ants, " he exclaimed. "See, here are hundreds sticking tome. " Duppo and I went to his assistance, and we found his legs coveredwith ants with enormous jaws, holding on so tight to the flesh that, inpulling them off, the heads of many were left sticking in the woundsthey had made. We caught sight of the column which was advancing, aboutsix deep, with thinner columns foraging on either side of the main army. Creatures of all sorts were getting out of their way with good cause, for whenever they came upon a maggot, caterpillar, or any larvae, theyinstantly set upon it and tore it to pieces, each ant loading itselfwith as much as it could carry. A little in front of them was a wasp'snest, on a low shrub. They mounted the twigs, and, gnawing away at thepapery covering, quickly got at the larvae and the newly-hatched wasps. These they carried off in spite of the efforts of the enraged parents, who kept flying about them. They were ecitons, or foraging ants, ofwhich there are numerous species. They also came upon a bank, in theircourse, in which was a nest belonging to a large species of white ant. They forced their way in, attacked them, and dragged out the bodies ofthe slain. These were cut into three or four pieces, each of which waslifted up by an eciton and carried off. 

However, a volume could be filled with accounts of the numberless antsand termites of South America, and their curious and varied habits. Onespecies is quite blind; others tunnel as they go, or form ways to enablethem to make their attacks in secret. For this purpose the littlecreatures will form miles of covered ways. Some build their nests ofclay in trees, and others hollow out abodes under the bark. They vary, too, in size and form. Some are half an inch long; some white, othersred and black; some sting furiously. The ants inhabiting trees arethose which commit depredations in houses chiefly. The most annoying ofthe species is the fire-ant--a little creature of a shining reddishcolour. They live in the sand, where they form subterranean galleriescovered by a sandy dome. They enter houses, and attack eatables of allsorts. When they attack human beings they fix their jaws in the flesh, and, doubling up their tails, sting with all their might; and a veryfearful sting it is. When we met with them we were obliged to smear theropes of our hammocks with balsam of _copauba_. Eatables are suspendedin baskets by ropes covered with the same balsam, and the legs of chairsand footstools are also covered to prevent their climbing up andstinging those sitting on them. Villages have sometimes been desertedin consequence of the attacks of these fierce little insects. However, they are only found on the sandy banks of the river and drier parts ofthe country. 

After this digression I must continue my narrative. We shot only two orthree birds, and then had to hurry back to prepare for our departure. Our new canoe floated well, but was smaller than we could have wished. Over the centre was an awning of palm-leaves, under which was seatedEllen, with her black and brown attendants and her numerous pets, surrounded by our goods and chattels. Four Indians sat in the bows topaddle, while John and Domingos took it by turns to steer. Duppo hadespecial charge of the various pets, while I was glad to be relievedfrom the labour of paddling. I had my gun ready for a shot, and we keptout our books of natural history, which I wished to search through, andtwo or three others for reading. We were thankful to be once more onour voyage, but still we could not help looking with some interest andregret at the beautiful spot in which we had spent the last few weeks. "All on board?" cried Domingos. "On, boys, on!" and giving a shove withhis pole, we left the bank and glided down the stream, our dark-skinnedcrew keeping time with their paddles to the monotonous song which theystruck up. Although the wet season was commencing, the weather promisedto be fair for a time; and we hoped soon to have Arthur on board, and tocontinue our voyage without interruption till we should at length fallin with those dear ones of whom we were in search. 

I have already described the broad river, and the wall of strangelyvaried and lofty trees which border it. We kept along the left bank, not to run the risk of missing the entrance to the igarape of therecluse, as we called it. 

"Do you think we shall persuade him to come with us?" asked Ellen. "Ishould be so delighted if we could draw him out of his strange way oflife and restore him to society. "

John thought there was little chance of our doing so. 

"If anybody can, I think Arthur may, " I observed. 

"Then you agree with me in my notion?" said Ellen. 

"It is possible you may be right, " I answered; "but yet it would be verystrange. "

The recluse formed the chief subject of our conversation during theday's voyage. At length we approached his igarape. I almost expectedto see him and Arthur standing on the bank, but looked out in vain. Togive them notice of our approach, I fired off my rifle. We had alreadymade the canoe fast at our former landing-place. Ellen, John, and Iwere going towards the hut when Arthur appeared. "O Arthur will hecome--will he come?" cried out Ellen. 

Arthur shook his head. "I am very glad to see you, " he said; "but ifyou had delayed a few days longer perhaps he would have made up hismind. However, you must come and try what you can do. "

"And how is Maono?" I asked. 

"He is wonderfully recovered, but is still unable to move. "

"I hope he and his wife will not insist on Oria remaining with them!"said Ellen. 

"I think not, " answered Arthur. "Were it not for their other children, they would like to come themselves, I suspect, were Maono better. Butyou must come and see our friend; he has been so kind and gentle, andtalked a great deal to me. I have been greatly puzzled to know themeaning of some of his questions. Sometimes he spoke as if he wouldlike me to remain with him; but when I told him that I could not leaveyou, my old friends, he agreed that I ought not. "

As we entered the open space before the hut of the recluse he advancedto meet us, and courteously invited us to remain till the next day. Wehad wished to push on, as we had still some hours of daylight; butArthur begged us so earnestly to remain, that at last John agreed to doso. The Indians built themselves a hut near the canoe, in whichDomingos remained to watch over our goods; while we passed the night atthe hermitage. Ellen tried her utmost to persuade our host to accompanyus; but he declined, saying that he could not abandon his present modeof life, and would not desert his patient Maono till he had recovered. Maono and Illora showed more pleasure at seeing us than is usuallyexhibited by Indians. His head was still bound up, and both he and hiswife appeared clothed in light garments, which, though not sopicturesque as their savage want of attire, made them look much morecivilised. 

The next morning we were on foot before daybreak, and havingbreakfasted, and bid farewell to the chief and his wife, repaired atearly dawn to the canoe, attended by the recluse. Again Arthurentreated him to accompany us, observing that Maono had so far recoveredthat Illora might attend to him without his aid. He seemed to hesitate, but finally shook his head, saying, "It cannot be; no, it cannot be!"

"Then do you wish me to remain with you?" asked Arthur, looking up inhis face. 

The recluse seemed to be agitated with contending feelings. "No, boy, no!" he answered. "I cannot allow you to leave friends who have shownthat they are interested in your welfare. But take this packet, and donot open it till you have rejoined Mr Faithful's family. You will, Idoubt not, ere long find them, for from the information I have obtainedthey some time ago proceeded down the river. Where they are settled Icannot tell, but two if not more messengers have been despatched by themin search of you, some of whom have either gone higher up the river, orhave fallen victims to the treacherous savages. "

Arthur took the packet from the recluse with a look of surprise. 

"It will explain all, " said the latter. "Put it by now, and keep itcarefully. I have acted for the best, and you will acknowledge thatwhen you come to notice the contents. "

Saying this, he pressed Arthur's hand, and assisting Ellen into thecanoe, waved an adieu, and turning hastily round, with long hastystrides hurried back towards his abode. The Indians stood up andsaluted him with signs of respect, and then, at the command of Domingos, began to ply their paddles, and we once more recommenced our voyage. Arthur watched the recluse till he disappeared among the trees. 

"It is very, very strange, " I heard him say to himself; "I cannotunderstand it. " Several times he pulled out the packet and looked at itwistfully. "I must not disobey him, " he added aloud, "and yet I long toknow what he meant by giving me this. "

"So do I, " said Ellen; "but I am sure you ought to obey him. "

Arthur started; he seemed not to be aware that he had been speakingaloud. 

John looked at Ellen. "Sister, " he said rather gravely, "do not utteryour ideas; whatever they may be, you are likely to be wrong. "

Ellen was silent. Arthur replaced the packet in his wallet, and thesubject was not again alluded to. For several hours we glided down thestream without interruption. In the middle of the day we landed to giveour crew rest and to cook our dinner. While the men were resting, werambled through the forest with Duppo. We took Duppo that we might notrun the risk of losing our way. We had gone on for some distance, whenhe exclaimed, "_Jacare tinga_!" I called True close to me, knowing thatthe words meant alligator. Duppo crept cautiously on. Every moment weexpected to come up with the monster, though on dry ground we knew wehad little cause to fear it. "What is that?" exclaimed John, and hefired his rifle at a creature which went bounding through the forest. For a moment I caught sight of a jaguar, and directly afterwards we cameon an alligator which had evidently just been killed by the jaguar. Ishould have liked to have seen the combat in which the fierce mammal hadcome off victorious. What mighty strength it must have put forth tokill the huge reptile which lay mangled before us, a considerableportion of the interior devoured. Duppo, on seeing it, began to searchabout in the neighbourhood, and came before long on a conical pile ofdead leaves, from among which he dug out upwards of twenty eggs. Theywere nearly twice the size of those of a duck, and of an ellipticalshape. The shells were very hard, of the texture of porcelain, andextremely rough on the outside. Duppo rubbed them together, producing aloud sound. Then he shook his head, as much as to say, "If the motherwere alive that would bring her, but there she lies;" and he then toldus that it was the way his people had of attracting alligators when theyfound a nest, knowing that the female is sure to be near, and will cometo see what is the matter with her eggs. We carried them on board as apresent to our crew, knowing that they would be acceptable, as thenatives are very fond of them. At night we landed on an island, andbuilt our huts in the same style that we had done on descending theNapo. And thus, with various incidents which I have not space torecount, we proceeded on our voyage for several days withoutinterruption. 

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN. 

JOYFUL NEWS. 

Day after day we sailed down the mighty Amazon, often the opposite shoreappearing like a blue line in the distance, and yet we were upwards oftwelve hundred miles from the mouth. Now it again narrowed into moreriver-like proportions. Sometimes we found ourselves navigating betweennumerous islands, cut off from the mainland by the rush of waters; butalong the whole extent, often for a hundred miles together, not a hutwas to be seen, not a sign of a human habitation. Whenever we came nearthe abode of man we landed, and Domingos or John and one of the nativesapproached cautiously to make inquiries; but hitherto without success. Here and there we came to a mission establishment of the Portuguese. They consisted generally of the priest's house, a larger building forthe church, and a few huts scattered about, inhabited by natives. Asfar as we could judge, these so-called Christian natives were but littleraised above their still heathen countrymen, while the effect of thereligion they had assumed was to make them more idolatrous andsuperstitious than before. The priests, however, were very civil, butthere was nothing to tempt us to remain at their stations; we therefore, after gaining the information we required, pushed on and camped in ourusual way. We agreed that our father had probably acted in the sameway, for we could gain no certain news of him. We heard, however, whatgave us some anxiety--that the country was in a greatly disturbed state, and that the natives had, in several places, risen against thePortuguese, and driven them from their settlements. The poor priests, indeed, seemed unhappy about themselves, and not at all confident thattheir flocks might not rise and treat them in the same way. One, indeed, gave out strong hints that he would like to accompany us, andwould undertake to pilot us down the river; but our canoe had already asmany on board as she could carry, while our provisions were so greatlydiminished that they would not hold out much longer. 

We frequently avoided the main channel, the navigation of which in badweather is dangerous, and made our way through some of the numerouschannels filled by the rising waters on either side. Thus we paddled onthrough channels sometimes so narrow that the boughs arched almostoverhead, at other times spreading out into lake-like expanses. I havealready so frequently described the vegetation, the numberless palms andother trees, some of enormous size, with their festoons of air-plantsand climbers of all sorts, that I need not again draw the picture. Emerging from a narrow path, we entered a calm and beautiful lake, whenthere appeared before us, floating on the water, a number of vastcircular leaves, amid which grow up the most gigantic and beautifulwater-lilies. 

"Oh, what flowers!" exclaimed Ellen; "do gather some. "

"Surely those cannot be leaves!" exclaimed Arthur. "See, a bird withlong legs is walking over them!"

John fired, and the bird fell in the centre of the leaf on which it wasstanding, and which still supported it in the water; and taking it offthe leaf, alongside which we paddled, we found it to be a jacana, remarkable for the great length of its toes, especially the hinder one, and their spine-like claws. It was a wonderfully light bird also, andthese peculiarities enable it to walk over the leaves of thewater-plants and procure its food, which consists of worms. The beakwas orange colour, but the greater part of the body black, with the backand wing-coverts of a bright chestnut, with a few yellow touches hereand there, and the legs of a greenish-ash colour. We heard the shrilland noisy notes of its fellows in the trees near us. "Ah, that is a_piosoca_!" said Duppo, "and that leaf is its oven;" and so it was inshape like the pans in which the natives roast their mandioca meal. 

Ellen had, in the meantime, been examining one of the beautiful flowerswhich the boatmen picked for her. The outside of the leaves was of adelicate white, deepening in colour through every shade of rose to thedeepest crimson, and then fading again to a creamy-yellowish tint at theheart. Many of the leaves were five feet and upwards in diameter, andperfectly smooth on the upper surface, with an upright edge of an inchto two inches all the way round. We managed, though not withoutdifficulty, to pull up some stalks, and found them covered with longsharp spines. The construction of the leaf was very curious, it beingsupported below by a number of ribs projecting from the stalk, andgiving it greater buoyancy and strength. One of the boatmen, plungingdown, brought up a young leaf from the bottom. It had the form of adeep cup or vase, and on examining it we discovered the embryo ribs, andcould see how, as they grew, their ramifications stretched out in everydirection, the leaf letting out one by one its little folds to fill theever-widening spaces. At last, when it reaches the surface of thewater, its pan-like form rests horizontally above it without a wrinkle. This beautiful lily, then unknown to science, has since been called theVictoria Regia. 

Nothing could exceed the beauty of this calm lake, covered for aconsiderable distance with these magnificent flowers. Among the liliesappeared a variety of other water-plants, some gracefully bending overlike bamboos, others with large deep serrated leaves, while thedifferent forest trees in varied forms rose round us, fringed by a broadband of feathery grass. Several trees floated on the borders coveredwith water-fowl, among which were many ducks and ciganas, while amid thelofty branches of the living forest flew numerous macaws of a red, green, and yellow species, and one of the small flock of the still morebeautiful blue macaw, appeared to add their lovely tints to thelandscape. Such was the scenery through which we passed during thegreater part of the day. Had we felt sure about the safety of ourfamily, how much more should we have enjoyed it. Our anxiety againincreased. We had good reason to be anxious about ourselves. Our stockof provisions was almost exhausted; all our luxuries except coffee hadcome to an end, and of that we had very little, while we had only asmall supply of farinha remaining. 

We encamped at the end of our day's voyage through that labyrinth ofcanals on the only spot we could find free from trees, the rising watershaving covered nearly all the ground. While looking for some poles forour hut, I saw on the branch of a tree overhanging the water, gazingdown upon us, a hideous monster, fully five feet long, which at thefirst glance I took to be a species of alligator with which I wasunacquainted. Presently, as I gazed at it, it filled out a large bagunder its throat, and opened its hideous mouth. It was covered withscales, had a long tail, the point of which was hid among the branches, and enormous claws at the end of its legs. I beat a quick retreat, calling to John to come to my assistance with his gun, for I fullybelieved that the creature would leap off and attack me. The Indians, hearing my voice, came towards me, and cut down some long thin sipos, atthe end of which they formed a running noose. Thus prepared, theyboldly advanced towards the creature, and one of them throwing up thenoose, adroitly caught it round the neck. The others, taking the end, gave it a sudden jerk, and down it came to the ground. As soon as itregained its feet it boldly made at them, but they nimbly leaped out ofits way; and as its movements were slow, there seemed but little risk ofits catching them. 

"Why, that must be an iguana!" exclaimed John. 

While some kept hauling at the creature's neck, turning it when it triedto get away, others ran to the canoe and brought their spears, withwhich they ran it through the neck, and quickly killed it. It was aniguana (_Iguana tuberculata_). Though the head was very different fromthat of the alligator, being blunt, yet, from having a number of sharpteeth, it could evidently have given a severe bite. Its head wassomewhat large, and covered with large scales. It had an enormous widemouth, while under its chin was a sort of big dew-lap, which, as it hadshown me, it could inflate when angry. At the sides of the neck were anumber of tubercles, while the tail was very long, thin, and tapering. It was of a dark olive-green, but the tail was marked with brown andgreen in alternate rings. The creature was nearly six feet long. TheIndians seemed highly delighted with their prize, and as soon as ourhuts were built, commenced skinning and cutting it up. Domingos assuredus that it was very good to eat, and produced a fricassee for supper, which we could not help acknowledging was excellent. A part also wasroasted. 

Shortly afterwards I saw another iguana on the ground. True darted atit, and I shouted to him to come back. Fortunately for itself, myshouts startled the iguana, which took to the water, and swam away, sculling itself forward by meant of its long tail at a rapid rate. 

Arthur had manufactured a net for catching insects. As soon as we wereseated in front of our hut, enjoying the cool air after the sun had set, Ellen exclaimed, "Oh, see what beautiful fireworks!" At a shortdistance from us there appeared suddenly to rise thousands of sparks ofgreat brilliancy. Arthur ran forward with his net, and quicklyreturned, placed the hoop on the ground, and lifted up the end, when sobright was the light which came from the interior that we could withoutdifficulty read a page of the book on natural history we had beenexamining a short time before. On taking out some of the insects he hadcaught to look at them more narrowly, Arthur placed one on its back, when it sprang up with a curious click and pitched again on its feet. On examining it we found that this was produced by the strong spineplaced beneath the thorax, fitting into a small cavity on the upper partof the abdomen. It brings this over its head, and striking the groundwith great force, can thus regain its natural position. The creaturewas about an inch and a half long, and of a brown colour. The lightproceeded from a smooth, yellow, semi-transparent spot on each side ofthe thorax. We found that even with a single one passed over the pagewe could see the letters clearly. Ellen ran and brought a vial, intowhich we put a dozen, when it literally gave forth the light of a brightlamp, sufficient to write by. It is known in the country as the cocuja. It is the elater, or still more scientifically, the _Pyrophorusnoctilucus_. The forest behind the hut was literally filled at timeswith brilliant sparks of light, now vanishing, now bursting forth withgreater brightness than at first. The Brazilian ladies wear thesebeetles alive secured in their hair, and sometimes on their dresses, which thus glitter brightly as they move about in the dusk. 

The next morning at daylight Duppo was busily employed hunting about inthe neighbourhood, and at length shouted to us to bring a basket. Wefound he had just discovered the nest of an iguana, filled with eggs. He assured us that they were excellent. On boiling some for breakfast, we agreed with him. Like those of the turtle, they did not harden byboiling, but only became somewhat thicker, and were filled almostentirely with yellow, having very little albumen. We all set to work tohunt for more, and were fortunate in finding another nest, the eggsbeing a welcome addition to our scanty supply of food. The Indiansmeantime, while we were finishing breakfast, set off into the forest, and just as we were ready to start came back with another iguana. 

We were constantly employed in trying to teach Duppo English. Arthurwas explaining to him the animals of our country, and was mentioning thecow, and describing its milk. He seemed much interested, and then gaveus to understand that they also had cows in their land, which, insteadof walking about on four legs, grew in the ground, and were of greatsize. After this he was constantly looking out along the banks, and atlength he shouted out to the men, "Massaranduba!" and they at oncepaddled in for the bank. One of them accompanied us with an axe. As wepassed along we found on the ground a number of woody vessels, which hadevidently contained seeds. Duppo picked up one of them, and foundanother piece close by which fitted on to it, and then told us that theywere called monkeys' drinking-cups; the Portuguese call them _cuyas demacaco_. These shells had contained nuts. When falling off the tree--the sapucaya--the tops split off, and the nuts are scattered on theground. Duppo made us understand that these cups would serve well tocollect the milk from the cow he promised to show us. 

I may observe that the trees which bear the monkey drinking-cups areclosely allied to the Brazil-nut tree, the fruit of which we had oftenseen sold in England under that name. Its seeds are also enclosed inlarge woody vessels, but they, having no lid, fall entire to the ground, and are thus easily collected by the natives. 

Supplied with these vessels, we went on a few yards further, when westopped under an enormous tree, one of the giants of the forest. Itstrunk was covered with deeply scored reddish and rugged bark. Duppopatted it, saying, "This my cow. " Another tree of the same species, butmuch smaller, grew near. He ran to it, and saying, "Small cow givebetter milk, " began to attack it with his axe. After making a fewstrokes, out flowed a perfectly white liquid, which John, kneeling down, caught in the monkey-cup. As soon as it was filled I handed himanother, the milk continuing to flow in great abundance, so that we soonhad four cups filled full of the tempting liquid. On tasting it wefound it sweet, and of a not unpleasant flavour, and wonderfully likemilk. 

We returned to the boat with our prize. Domingos had meantime beenboiling some coffee; as we had now no sugar, the fresh milk proved amost valuable acquisition. The Indians, however, recommended us not totake much of it. We kept it, intending to use it again in the evening, but on taking off the lid of one of the monkey-cups, we found that ourmilk had thickened into a stiff and excessively tenacious glue. "My cowgood?" asked Duppo, as he saw us tasting the liquid. When we showed himthe gluey substance in the evening, he inquired sagaciously whether themilk of our cow would keep so long, and we confessed that, in thatclimate, it would be very likely to turn sour. After this, on severaloccasions we obtained fresh milk from the cow-tree for our breakfastsand suppers. 

We encamped at night on a bank, and found two sorts of tiger-beetles, with very large heads, running about on the sand. It was extraordinaryhow rapidly they moved. Arthur and I tried to catch them, but each timethey baffled us. One was very similar in hue to the sand over which itruns, the other was of a brilliant copper colour. Arthur, who was veryacute in his remarks, observed that the white species ran far moreswiftly than the copper-coloured one. As they only appear in the gloomor night, the white is far more easily seen than the darker one; andthis has by the Creator greater means afforded it of escaping from itsenemies. The dark-coloured one, however, he discovered, is not leftwithout means of defence; for when at last Duppo caught one for him, hefound that on touching it it emitted a strong, peculiar, and offensiveputrid odour, which is not the case with the whiter one. 

"How delightful it is!" he exclaimed, "to examine the habits of God'screatures, and see how admirably adapted they are to the life they aredestined to lead. "

I must not, however, attempt to describe the numberless insects andcreatures of all sorts we met with on our voyage. Duppo brought us alarge wood-cricket, called the _Tanana_, the wonderfully loud and notunmusical notes of which we had often heard. These sounds, we found, were produced by the overlapping edges of the wing-cases, which they rubtogether. In each wing-case the inner edge, near the lower part, has ahorny expansion. On one wing this horny expansion is furnished with asharp raised margin; on the other, the strong nervure which traverses iton the other side is crossed by a number of short, sharp furrows, likethose of a file. When, therefore, the insect rapidly moves its wings, the file of one expansion scrapes sharply across the horny margin of theother, thus producing the curious sounds. The wing-cases, which are ofa parchment-like nature, and the hollow drum-formed space which theyenclose, assists to give resonance to the tones. The music they make isemployed undoubtedly to serenade their mates, for the same object whichinduces the feathered tribe to utter their varied notes in the forest. 

We had once more entered the main stream, which, after the confinednavigation of the last few days, appeared to our eyes almost like thewide ocean. We landed rather earlier than usual, as a favourable spotappeared, and we could not tell how far off another might be found. Wehad formed huts as usual, our camp-fire was lighted, and Domingos andMaria were engaged in cooking our evening meal, making the most of thescanty fare we had remaining. A point was near from which we believedwe could get an uninterrupted view for a great distance down the river. As we found we could make our way to it without much difficulty, webegged Ellen and Oria to accompany us. 

On reaching the point we sat down on a bank. A small object appeared inthe distance on the water. Arthur was the first to espy it. I thoughtit was but a log of wood. We pointed it out to Oria. She at oncedeclared that it was a canoe. It was certainly approaching, and atlength we made out a small canoe gliding over the smooth water; and asit came near we saw a white man in the stern steering, and ten nativesurging her on with rapid strokes. "What if those people should be ableto give us news of our father!" exclaimed Ellen. "Do call them, lestthey should pass by. " John hailed the canoe. Presently we saw thewhite man stand up and look towards us. Instantly the head of the canoewas turned in our direction. We hastened down to the point where theywould land, and the white man stepped on shore. He gazed first at one, then at the other, with an inquiring glance. 

"Can you tell me, my friend, " asked John, "if an English family arestopping anywhere on the banks down the river?"

"Indeed I can, senor, " answered the white man; "for I have been sent upby the master to look out for some part of his family who ought longsince to have arrived. He has already sent two messengers to inquirefor them; and his heart, and those of the senora and senorita, arewell-nigh worn out with anxiety on their account. At last I begged thathe would let me go; and I promised not to return without gaining tidingsof them. "

"Why, then you must be Antonio, and we are those you are looking for!"said John. 

"Heaven be praised!" exclaimed Antonio, our father's old servant, who, rushing forward, seized John in his arms, and gave him a warm embrace. He then turned to me, and gave me the same affectionate yet respectfulgreeting. "And this is the senorita!" he exclaimed, turning to Ellen. "Oh, it does my old heart good to see you. How little did I think thatbefore the sun set I should behold those I so longed to find. AndDomingos and Maria; surely they have come with you!"

"Oh yes, " said John; "they are at the camp. Send your montaria roundthe point, and come with us. We shall soon be there. "

As may be supposed, we had numberless questions to ask about our fatherand family; how far off they were from us, and all that had happened. 

"Oh, senor, I should like to have a dozen tongues in my head to reply toyou, " answered Antonio. "They are well and safe now, though the timesare perilous. And, Heaven be praised, they have passed numberlessdangers unharmed. It has taken me two weary weeks to come thus far, butI hope that we may descend the river to them in far less time. Howcould I have expected to meet with you when others, we had cause tofear, had failed. First, a Brazilian trader, who was proceeding up inhis montaria, undertook the task, promising without fail to find you, and speedily to send down notice; but after waiting and waiting someweary weeks, no news came, and my master, your father, was resolved togo himself, though unwilling to leave the senoras without hisprotection, when, just then, two young Englishmen arrived from Para, andmade themselves known to your father as friends of yours; and hearingthat you were missing, agreed to go up in search of you. "

"Why, those must be our two school-fellows, Houlston and Tony Nyass!" Iexclaimed. 

From the description which Antonio had given of them, we had no doubtthat this was the case. But what had become of them? A few minutesbefore I had thought all our anxieties were over, but now they wereagain aroused on account of our friends. What if they had fallen intothe hands of the Majeronas, or been exposed to some of the storms we hadso narrowly escaped! "You forget how easily they may have passed us, "observed Arthur. "We might have been not a quarter of a mile apart, andyet have passed without seeing or hearing each other. "

Dear Ellen was so agitated with the thoughts of meeting those we lovedso soon, that she could scarcely speak. She overheard, however, theremarks between Arthur and myself. "And why do you doubt that all willcome right in the end?" she exclaimed. "Think of the many dangers wehave gone through, and how we have been preserved from them all. Let ushope the same for our friends. "

Domingos was standing over the fire with his frying-pan when we cameround the point with Antonio. At that moment he happened to look up, when, forgetting what he was about, he let the frying-pan and itscontents fall into the middle of the fire, thereby spoiling a deliciousfricassee of iguana, and sprang forward to welcome his fellow-servant, and to make inquiries for their master. The two rushed into eachother's arms, and the tears fell from the black man's eyes when he heardthat our father was well. 

We spent the evening at our encampment, hearing from Antonio all thathad occurred: how our father had received information of the intendedattack of the Majeronas, and had embarked just in time to escape them. He would have waited for us higher up the river had he not beencompelled, for the sake of obtaining assistance for our mother, toproceed downwards. They had all been hospitably received at the farm ofa Brazilian family, where she having recovered, he determined to waitfor our arrival. The first messengers he had despatched not having beenheard of, on the arrival of Houlston and Tony Nyass, they had insistedon proceeding upward. As they also had not returned, Antonio, with theparty we had met, had been sent to search for us. 

It was the happiest evening we had spent since the commencement of ourjourney. Anxiety about our friends did not damp our spirits, as wehoped that they would hear of us at some of the places at which we hadcalled; and that we should soon all meet, and continue our adventures incompany. "Fancy Tony and I, and old Houlston, after all, sailingtogether on the Amazon, just as we used to talk about at school!" Iacclaimed. "It will be jolly, will it not, Arthur?"

CHAPTER NINETEEN. 

A HAPPY MEETING. 

A week had passed away. The two canoes keeping in company, we no longerfelt the solitude which had oppressed us as we navigated that vaststream, or the intricate labyrinth of channels, often far away from themain shore. Several times we had inquired of Antonio whether we wereapproaching the farm of Senhor Pimento, where our family were living. "Paciencia; logo, logo, " was his answer--"Patience; soon, soon we shallbe there. " We turned off from the main stream, and ascended an igarapethickly shrouded by palms and other trees, completely shutting out thesky above us. At the end of the vista the bright sunlight shone on anopen space, where appeared a small lake, on the opposite side of whichwe could distinguish several buildings raised on piles--a large one inthe centre with a deep verandah, the palm-thatched roof of whichextended beyond the walls; the whole surrounded by plantations ofmandioca, cacao, peach-palms, and other trees. 

"Is that where we are going?" asked Ellen eagerly of Antonio. "We shallsee--we shall see, senorita!" he answered. Rounding a point, weobserved a hut beneath a grove of inaja palms; their leaves springingalmost from the ground, and spreading slightly out from the slenderstem, so as to form an open vase of the most graceful shape. Fewobjects of the vegetable kingdom are more beautiful. "Oh, what lovelytrees!" exclaimed Ellen. "And see! there is some one coming out fromamong them. "

As she spoke, a person emerged from the wood, engaged apparently inreading. As his back was towards us, he did not observe the approach ofthe canoes. "Oh, it is papa!" exclaimed Ellen; "I am sure of it. " Andin another instant we were on shore, and Ellen flying over the ground. 

It was indeed a happiness to see her in our father's arms. "And my boystoo, safe after all your dangers!" he exclaimed, as he embraced us. "And your young friend too!"

Maria and Domingos came running up to kiss his hand, pleasure beaming intheir dark countenances. We hurried forward to the house, and in a fewminutes had the happiness of seeing our mother and Fanny. Even AuntMartha, I thought, looked far more kindly than she used to do, and wasas gentle and affectionate to Ellen as she could be. It was indeed ahappy meeting. 

We, of course, had to recount all our adventures; and thus most of thetalking was on our side, as Antonio had already told us all that hadhappened to them. Our Brazilian friend, Senhor Pimento, was a fineburly old gentleman, habited in light nankeen jacket and trousers, witha broad-brimmed hat. He was of a somewhat dark hue, and his wife, whowas a slight, active old lady, was considerably darker. Their familyconsisted of a son, who was away hunting at the time, and two daughters. I cannot call them fair, but they were attractive, lively girls, whohad lived in that remote district all their lives, and knew nothing ofthe world beyond, believing Para, next to Rio, to be its largest city. Fanny and her Portuguese friends were much pleased with Oria and Duppo, and delighted when they found that they could speak a little English, alanguage the two latter were trying to learn. The house was ofconsiderable size, built of palm-trees, thatched with palm-leaves; andeven the doors and windows were composed of palm-leaves, not opening onhinges, but being hooked up or taken down like mats. There were opengalleries round on either side, and several of the rooms were open also;and in these the hammocks of the men of the party were hung up. Thefloors were also of split palm-trees, and were raised about ten feetabove the ground, so as to be at a sufficient elevation during thehigher floods which occasionally inundate the larger portion of thatregion. None of the inmates of the house were idle. Senhor Pimento wasconstantly out, superintending his labourers; while Donna Josefa, hiswife, was engaged in household matters. The young ladies, it must beowned, were the least industrious of the family. 

Arthur had said nothing of the packet he had received from the recluse, yet I was sure that he would not lose a moment in opening it after thetime had arrived when he had permission to do so. Ellen came running tome the following morning, I having gone out before breakfast to lookround the farm. I saw by her beaming countenance that she was full ofsome matter of importance. 

"It is as I told you, Harry!" she exclaimed. "The recluse is Arthur'sfather--I knew it--I was sure of it. Arthur read to me last night someof the letter he gave him. Poor fellow, he is in a great state ofagitation, and blames himself for having come away and left him. Therecluse--that is to say, Mr Mallet--speaks somewhat vaguely of afearful event which compelled him to leave England; and he says that, though yearning to have his son by his side, he will not take him out ofthe path which Providence has placed him in, and from the protection ofkind friends--that he himself, long an outcast from his fellow-men, cannot help him, and that by starting alone in life he will have a farbetter prospect of success than should it be known whose son he is. These remarks, though Arthur is thankful to have found his father, havemade him very unhappy. He will talk to you by-and-by, when he hasthought the matter over; and do you know, the recluse--I mean, MrMallet--says that papa is an old friend of his, and that Arthur may tellhim so, as he is sure that though papa may not desire to meet him, hewill not in consequence withdraw his protection from his son. "

"That I am sure papa will not, " I exclaimed. "Poor Arthur! I do notknow whether to be sorry or glad at what you have told me. Had hespoken to me I might have been better able to advise him. "

Ellen looked into my face. Perhaps she thought that I felt a littlejealous that Arthur had not first consulted me. We agreed not to sayanything about the matter, but to let Arthur speak to our fatherhimself, being assured that he would do what was kind and generous, andact as he judged for the best. 

Arthur during the day was, I observed, more silent than usual. He waswaiting, I suspected, to become more acquainted with our father beforeventuring to speak to him. I was not present when he did so. 

The day after our arrival Duppo came to me with a countenance of alarm. "We get among witches!" he exclaimed, looking round cautiously. I askedhim what he could mean; and he then told me that he had seen the twoyoung ladies in a wood close to the house, amusing themselves by playingwith venomous snakes, which he was sure they could not do if they werelike other human beings. "Come, you see them, " he said, wishing toprove his assertion correct; and he led me round the house, through thegrove of palms, where, sure enough, seated on a bench, from whence therewas a lovely view of the lake, were the two daughters of our host. Iconfess I was almost startled on seeing them with a number of brilliantlooking snakes. One was round each of their necks, while others theyhad twisted like bracelets, encircling their arms; and one of the girlswas holding another in her hand, allowing its forked tongue to dart outtowards her face. They were of a bright grass-green colour, withremarkably thin bodies; and it was curious to see the graceful way inwhich the lithe, active creatures crawled about, or lay coiled upperfectly at home in their laps. Unwilling to be an eavesdropper, I wasretiring, when I met Fanny and Ellen, and told them what I had seen, andDuppo's suspicions. Fanny laughed, saying they were perfectly harmless, and had been tamed by their friends, and returned with me to where thegirls were seated. Duppo, however, beat a retreat, evidently unwillingto be in such a dangerous neighbourhood. They were highly amused athearing of Duppo's alarm, and showed me that the snakes were perfectlyharmless. I took one in my hand, when the creature coiled itself roundmy arm, and I could admire at leisure its colour, and the beautifultopaz yellow of its eyes. The snakes were between two and three feetlong. They were so thoroughly tamed, that though placed on the groundthey did not attempt to escape, but came back immediately they werecalled by their young mistresses. So slender were their bodies, thatwhen coiled completely up I could place one on the palm of my hand. 

Though I told Duppo afterwards that I had actually handled the snakes, he was not convinced of their harmless character, and insisted that itwas another proof that they had been charmed by the white witches, whichhe still evidently considered our Brazilian friends. Oria, however, wasfar braver; for when she saw Fanny and Ellen play with the creatures, she without hesitation took one of them up, and allowed it to coilitself round her neck, where it made a pretty ornament on her dark skin. 

Pedro, the son of our host, returned the next day with a boat-load ofturtle and fish which he had caught; as well as a number of birds, someof them of exquisite plumage. John, Arthur, and I begged to accompanyhim the next time he set out on a similar expedition; and we found thathe proposed starting again the following day. Meantime Senhora Josefa, with the assistance of her slaves, was employed in salting and dryingthe fish and fowl she had just received. 

We started in the morning with two canoes, equipped with nets, spears, and lines, bows and arrows, and blow-pipes as well as guns. 

The lower portion of the banks of the Amazon were at this time coveredwith water on either side, varying in height from one to ten feet, andin some places reaching twenty. This district, known as the Gapo, extends from the Napo upwards of seventeen hundred miles, to the veryborders of Peru. It thus becomes a region of countless islands, separated by expanses of water--but not open water, as forest treesappear growing out of it in all directions; while in other parts thereare numbers of lakes of all sizes--some many miles in extent, othersmere pools, dry in summer, but all abounding in fish of various sorts, in turtles and alligators. We could often, in consequence of theflooded state of the country, make short cuts in our canoe directlythrough the forest, in some places with a depth of five to ten feetbelow our keels. 

As we were paddling on through a scene such as I have described, wepassed near a raft secured to the trunks of four trees, on which was anIndian family, with a small fire burning on it. The mother was cookingfish, while the father lay in his hammock suspended between the trees. A small, crazy looking canoe was moored to it. The family appearedperfectly contented and unconcerned, and accustomed to the curious modeof life. Pedro told us they were Muras Indians. During the dry seasonthey live on the sand-banks, employed in catching turtle in the largeriver; and when the rainy season sets in they retire to these solitudes, whence they sally forth in their canoes to catch manatees and turtle, and fish of many sorts. We were proceeding away from the main stream bya broad water-path, with numberless narrower paths leading off in alldirections. During the first part of our voyage we could see for aconsiderable distance through the irregular colonnade of trees; but aswe progressed the path became narrower, and the trees grew closertogether, their boughs frequently stretching forth over our heads. Frommany of them beautiful bright yellow flowers hung down, the stemsseveral feet in length, while ferns and numerous air-plants thicklycovered the trunks of the palms or drooped over from their summits. Nowand then we passed through a thicket of bamboos, their slender foliageand gracefully-curving stems having arranged themselves in the mostelegant feathery bowers. Crossing through the forest, we passed a groveof small palms, their summits being but a few feet above us. They borebunches of fruit, which our Indians cut off with their knives. We foundit of an agreeable flavour. The birds feeding overhead now and thensent down showers of fruit, which splashed into the water round us. Frequently we heard a rustling in the leaves, and caught sight in manyplaces of troops of monkeys peeping down from among the dense foliage. Then off they would go, leaping from bough to bough through the forest. Here a flock of paroquets appeared in sight for a few moments. Now oneof the light-blue chatterers, then a lovely trogon, would seize a fruitas it darted by; or the delicate white wing and claret-coloured plumageof a lovely pompadour would glance from the foliage; or a huge-billedtoucan would pitch down on a bough above us, and shake off a fruit intothe water. Gay flowers, too, were not wanting, of the orchid tribe:some with white and spotted and purple blossoms; the most magnificent ofa brilliant purple colour, called by the natives Saint Ann's flower, four inches across. We plucked some, which emitted a most delightfulodour. At last we came out once more into the bright sunshine, at asmall lake, the surface of which was adorned in many parts withnumberless beautiful water-plants--graceful lilies, yellowbladder-worts, and numbers of a bright blue flower, which contrastedwith the green leaves. The whole track, indeed, consisted, we found, ofigarapes, lakes, and gapo; here and there patches of high and dry landso mingled together that we could not have told whether we were on themain shore or on an island. 

At length we reached another lake with higher banks, where Pedro told uswe would encamp and commence fishing. The little lake extended over anarea of about ten acres, and was surrounded by the forest. The borderswere somewhat swampy, and covered with a fine grass. On these bordersthe hunters erected little stages, consisting of long poles, withcross-pieces secured by lianas. The pool abounded with turtle. Ourhunters mounted the stages, armed with bow and arrow. The arrow was soformed that the head when it struck the animal remained in its body, while the shaft floated to the surface, though remaining attached to itby a long line. We remained in a larger canoe to watch proceedings, while Pedro and two Indians entered a smaller one. The Indians did noteven wait for the turtles to come to the surface; but the moment theysaw a ripple in the water, the man nearest shot his arrow with unerringaim, and it never failed to pierce the shell. As soon as one was shot, Pedro paddled towards it, and, taking the shaft and line in his hand, humoured the creature as a fisherman does a salmon, till, exhausted, itrose to the surface, when it was further secured by another arrow shotat it, and then with the two lines easily hauled into the canoe. Johnand I tried our skill; but our arrows missed their aim, and I verynearly shot our friend Pedro instead of the turtle. 

Another small canoe had been sent for, which now arrived. So rapidlywere the turtle shot that both canoes were actively engaged in pickingthem up. Fully forty were thus killed in a short time. The net wasthen spread at one end of the pool, while the rest of the party beganbeating the water from the opposite side with long poles, some along theedges and others in the canoes. We could see the backs of the turtlesas they swam forward. When they got close to the net the two ends wererapidly drawn together, surrounding a large number of them; and then allhands uniting at the ropes, quickly dragged it towards the shore. Asthey appeared above the water, the men seized them, and threw them intothe canoes, which came up to the spot. Many, however, managed toscramble out again before they were turned on their backs. Arthur and Irushed in with the rest to assist in their capture, when suddenly I feltan extraordinary sensation in my foot. 

"Oh, I have been bitten by a water-snake!" I exclaimed, leaping up. 

"And so have I!" cried Arthur. And we rushed on shore, both of uslooking anxiously down at our legs. No wounds, however, were to beseen. 

When the net was finally drawn on shore, after a vast number of smallturtle had been taken out of it, several curious fish were seen, andamong them five or six eel-looking creatures, with large heads. TheIndians cried out something; but not understanding them, I took up oneof the creatures to examine it, when instantly I felt the sensation Ihad experienced in the water, and now discovered that they were electriceels. To prove it yet further, I took out my knife, and Pedro, Arthur, and I, with several Indians, joined hands, when instantly the rest, greatly to their astonishment, felt the shock as if they had touched thefish itself. We persuaded the other Indians to try the experiment; andthey were greatly amused and astonished at finding the electric sparkpass through their systems. 

Altogether we caught upwards of a hundred turtle. We then moved on toanother lake with a sandy shore, where the net was again drawn for thesake of obtaining fish. I had never seen so many and various fish takentogether. It would be impossible to describe them. Among them was abeautiful oval-shaped fish, which the natives call _acara_. There arenumerous species, we heard: some of them deposit their eggs in the sand, and hover over them until the young are hatched; but there are otherswhich take still greater care of them, and have a cavity near the gills, in which the male takes up the eggs and carries them there, not onlytill they are hatched, but actually keeps the young fry in safety withinthem. When able to swim they go out and take exercise; but on theapproach of danger they rush back into their parents' mouths forprotection. This cavity is in the upper part of the bronchial arches. I should scarcely have believed the fact from the report of the natives, had I not actually seen both the eggs and the young fry in theirparents' head. There are several species of fish in the waters of theAmazon which are thus wonderfully supplied with the means of protectingtheir young. 

"You shall now see another way we have of taking fish, " said our friendPedro. 

We paddled off to a still part of the lake. He then poured out of acalabash some coloured liquid. 

"And now let us land, " he said, "and while we take our dinner, watch theresult. "

The liquid, he told us, was produced from a poisonous liana called_tambo_. This is cut up into lengths, washed, and soaked in water, which becomes thus impregnated with the juice. 

Before dinner was over, as we looked out on the pool we saw the surfacecovered with fish floating on their sides, with their gills wide open. The canoe then pushed off, and collected them in great numbers. Thepoison appeared to have suffocated the fish, although only a smallquantity had been poured into the water. 

We were as successful in shooting birds, monkeys, and other game, as wewere in fishing. One of the Indians used his bow in a curious way, which we had not before seen employed. Throwing himself on his back, heplaced his feet lifted up above his body against the bow, and drew thestring to his head with both his hands. It was surprising what acorrect aim he could thus take. He quickly brought down several birdson the wing at a great height. He showed us also that he could shoot upin the air, and make the arrow fall wherever he pleased. Several timesit descended within a few inches of his own head or feet, where it stuckquivering in the ground. We dreaded that it might stick into him; buthe laughed at our fears, assuring us that there was not the slightestdanger, as he had practised the art from his boyhood, and could performstill more difficult feats. Darkness coming on prevented him fromexhibiting them. We spent the night on the driest spot we could find onthe banks of the lake. Blazing fires were lighted to keep jaguars, pumas, and boas at a distance. 

Next morning, loaded with the spoils of the chase, we commenced ourvoyage homewards. We were passing a dry, thickly-wooded island, when wecaught sight of a number of people among the trees, while fires wereburning in the centre of several open spots. We asked Pedro what theywere about. 

"They are my father's labourers, " he said. "You shall come on shore, and we will see how they are employed. "

We found a number of Indians and a few blacks busily engaged in variousways; some in making gashes in the stems of trees, under each of whichthey placed a little clay cup or a shell, into which trickled the sapissuing from the wound. This sap we found was of the consistency ofcream. And now we saw for the first time the india-rubber with which wehad only before been acquainted when using it to rub out our pencilstrokes when drawing at school. The trees which were thus treated had abark and foliage not unlike that of the European ash; but the trunkswere of great size, and shot up to an immense height before throwing offtheir branches. People with large bowls were going about from tree totree, and emptying the contents of the little cups into them. Fromthence they were carried to their camp. Here we found large bowls fullof the cream-like sap. The labourers were provided with a number ofclay moulds of various shapes, though most of them were in the form ofround bottles. These moulds were dipped into the liquid, and then hungup to dry. As soon as one layer was dry the mould was again dipped in, and thus coat after coat was put on. Pedro told us it took several daysbefore the coating was considered sufficiently thick. It was then hardand white. This operation being finished, it was passed several timesthrough a thick, black smoke which issued from fires. We found thatthis smoke was produced by burning the nuts of the inaja and otherpalm-trees, by which means the dark colour and softness are obtained. The process is now complete; and the moulds being broken, the clay isemptied out, and the rubber is fit for sale. 

The Brazilian india-rubber tree--the _Siphonia elastico_(_caoutchouc_)--differs from the _ficus_ which furnishes theindia-rubber of Africa and the East Indies. It bears a small flower andcircular fruit, with strongly-marked divisions in the rind. 

Having left some of our game for provisioning the camp of theindia-rubber collectors, we made the best of our way homewards. Eveningwas coming on. We were still at some distance from home. The sky hadbecome overcast, and rain had begun to fall. It seemed impossible thatwe should find our way through the forest in the darkness. We enteredat length a channel, the land on one side of which was elevated somefeet above the water. As we were paddling along it, Pedro proposed thatwe should land and camp. Just then we caught sight of a fire burning ina shed at some distance from the bank. 

"We may there find shelter, " said Pedro, "without having the trouble ofbuilding huts, which, after all, would not keep out the rain. "

We three accompanied him towards the fire. We found two Indiansstanding near it, both busily employed in concocting some mixture in alarge pot simmering over the flames. They were evidently, by the mannerin which they received us, displeased at our coming. Pedro, however, told them that we proposed spending the night at their hut; and sent tothe canoe for some game, which put them in better humour. He inquiredwhat they were about. 

"I see what it is. They are making the wourali poison for tipping thearrows for their bows and blow-pipes. See! we will make them show usthe process. "

After a little talk with the Indians, they consented to do as he wished. First they showed us some long sticks of a thin vine--the wouraliitself. This, with the root of a plant of a very bitter nature, theyscraped together into thin shavings. They were then placed in a sieve, and water poured over them into an earthen pot, the liquid comingthrough having the appearance of coffee. Into this the juice of somebulbous plants of a glutinous nature was squeezed, apparently to servethe purpose of glue. While the pot was simmering, other ingredientswere added. Among them were some black, venomous ants, and also alittle red ant, which stings severely. They seemed to set great valuealso on the fangs of two snakes, which, when pounded, were added withmuch ceremony. One, Pedro told us, was the venomous _labarri_; andanother, the largest among the venomous reptiles in America, known asthe _curucu_, or bushmaster (_Lachesis mutus_). The Indians, however, call it the _couana couchi_. It is of the most beautiful colour. Itsbody is brightly tinted with all the prismatic colours; and sometimes itis to be seen coiled round the branches of a tree, ready to strike itsprey. It is allied, I should say, to the fearful _fer de lance_, whichstrikes its prey with so rapid and straight a stroke that it isimpossible to escape it. A quantity of the strongest Indian red pepperwas lastly added; and as the ingredients boiled, more of the juice ofthe wourali was poured in as was required. The scum having been takenoff, the compound remained on the fire till it assumed the appearance ofa thick syrup of a deep brown colour. Whether all these ingredients arenecessary, I cannot say. Others also, I believe, are occasionally used. 

I should have observed that we, as well as the other Indians, weredesired to keep at a respectful distance during the operation, as it isconsidered that even the vapour ascending from the pot is injurious tohealth. Having been pronounced perfectly made, the syrup was pouredinto a number of little pots, and carefully covered over with skin andleaves. We observed that the two Indians who manufactured it washedtheir hands and faces frequently. Pedro purchased several pots whichhad thus been manufactured, as the poison is an article of commercethroughout the country. 

The Indians' hut was at some distance from the shed. After supper wehung up our hammocks, and after turning into them, went to sleep. Little did we think of the fearful danger we ran that night. 

CHAPTER TWENTY. 

ANOTHER FLIGHT. 

Early the next day we arrived at Senhor Pimento's farm. The turtleswere turned into a large tank near the house, staked round so as toprevent the creatures from getting out. Here they would live for manymonths. Most of the Brazilian, as well as many of the natives' houses, have similar reservoirs attached to them, in which turtle are keptalive, to be taken out as required for use. 

We found our two sisters seated by the bank of the lake, and little Oriawith them. They seemed somewhat agitated. Oria had been out theprevious day, they told me, in the forest to gather fruit, and hadunwisely wandered on, without waiting for Duppo, who was to follow her. Unaccustomed to that part of the country, she had lost her way. Asevening approached, she found an Indian hut, when, the rain coming down, she crept into it for shelter. No one was there. She had thrown a matover her, and had dropped off to sleep, when she was awakened by hearingseveral persons talking. Although their dialect was very different fromher own, she could understand them. As she listened she became more andmore interested. They were speaking of a plot to surprise the whites, and put them to death, so that not a Portuguese should remain in thecountry. This plan, Oria understood, was very soon to be carried intoexecution. Fanny and Ellen cross-questioned Oria, and seemed satisfiedthat they clearly understood her. They then begged me to go and callour father, that we might have his opinion before alarming our host andhostess. I fortunately found him near the spot. He came to theconclusion that Oria's opinion was to be relied on, and at oncedetermined to warn Senhor Pimento. 

Soon afterwards I met Duppo. He drew me aside, with a mysterious look. He, too, evidently had something which he wished to communicate. He invain, however, tried to find words to explain himself. Just then wecaught sight of the daughters of our host in the distance. He shook hishead at them, and then made signs that no good could come from livingwith a family who could play with poisonous snakes with impunity; andthen pointed to the canoe, and urged us to go away from so dangerous aneighbourhood. I felt sure, however, that he had some other reason, which he was afraid to communicate. I told him so, and I asked him ifhe did not believe that the natives in the neighbourhood were about toattack the plantation. He looked surprised, evidently not being awarethat Oria had already warned my sisters. At last he confessed that suchwas the case, and implored me earnestly to induce my family to fly. Onthis I went in search of John, who had talked of going out to shoot. Ipersuaded him, though not without difficulty, to remain at home, andcome and consult with our father. He had, in the meantime, found SenhorPimento. 

"I am afraid that I shall be unable to persuade our Portuguese friend totake precautions against an attack of the natives. He declares thatthey have always been on good terms with him, and he sees no reason tobe alarmed, " he observed. 

"What, then, do you mean to do, father?" I asked. 

"To take the wisest course, " he answered. "I have directed Domingos andAntonio to get the montarias ready, and to ascertain the feeling of theTucuna Indians who came with you. They are, however, anxious to returnhomewards; and I have promised them one of the canoes, and additionalpayment, if they will accompany us in our flight to a place of safety. There is an uninhabited island some way down the river, where, I hope, we may remain concealed, should what we apprehend take place. As delaymay be dangerous, I have told Senhor Pimento that I purpose startingthis evening; and I have urged him to have his own montarias ready, andmanned by negroes in whom he can place confidence. I shall be very gladif I can, at all events, induce him to take this precaution, so that, should he see any likelihood of his being attacked, he may, at allevents, get on board, and save the lives of his family and himself. Wewill, as soon as the canoes are ready, carry our own property down tothem. But we must take care that we are not observed by the natives, who might attempt to stop us, or watch the direction we take. Yourmother and sisters are engaged in packing up, and I hope that soon allwill be ready. "

Though Senhor Pimento appeared to be incredulous as to the sinisterintentions of the natives, I thought that possibly Pedro might beinduced to believe them. I therefore went in search of him. I told himwhat we had heard. 

"It may be, " he answered. "I have had many black looks of late fromthose who used at one time to be ready to kiss my feet. I am, therefore, inclined to agree with you that some mischief is intended. Iwill try and persuade my father to act prudently; but he has been solong accustomed to look down upon the natives, it will be difficult topersuade him that they will dare to injure a white skin. I think yourfather is very right to escape from hence, though we shall be sorry topart from you. "

I thanked Pedro for his kind feelings, and urged him to try and inducehis father to act with caution. As all the natives on the estate wereabsent gathering caoutchouc, our operations were conducted with lessdifficulty than would otherwise have been the case. Our own Indians hadfortunately remained behind. It was settled that two should go in ourcanoe. John should act as captain of our father's, and Domingos ofours. Our goods were quickly conveyed on board. We found that SenhorPimento had sent a supply of farinha, as well as several turtles andother provisions, on board each of them, as a mark, he said, of hisgood-will. 

We bade him and Senhora Josefa and their two daughters farewell. Pedroaccompanied us down to the canoe. 

"Do not fear, " he said, "about us. I suspect we shall soon be followingyou. But should nothing happen to us, forget not those who held you inaffectionate esteem. "

I am, of course, only translating his words. 

The canoes shoved off, and working our paddles, we glided across thelake. It was nearly dark before we reached the entrance to the igarapedown which we were to proceed. It was a perfect calm. The tall treeswere reflected in the mirror-like expanse of the lake, sprinkled, as itwere, with the myriads of stars which shone forth from the clear sky. Here and there a night-bird darted from its covert in search of itsinsect prey. The tree-crickets had begun to utter their evening notes, and from far and near came forth from the forest the numberless soundswhich often to the solitary traveller make the night hideous. 

"Oh, what can that be?" we heard Ellen exclaim from the other canoe. "See! see!"

We looked astern, towards the plantation we had left. Bright flameswere darting up from among the buildings very instant growing higher, while dreadful cries, coming across the water, struck our ears. 

"Oh, I am afraid our friends have delayed too long to escape, " exclaimedArthur. "Could we not go back to help them?"

I asked our father if he would allow us to do so. 

He hesitated. "They have their montarias; and should they have beenattacked, you can render them no assistance. "

Still, I did not like the thought of deserting our friends, andpromised, should we not meet with them, to return at once. At last heconsented to our going; and turning the head of our canoe, we paddledback towards the shore we had left. We had nearly reached it, when wesaw a boat approaching. It might have our friends on board, or might bemanned by natives. We approached cautiously, ready to turn round at amoment's notice. 

"Who goes there?" I asked. 

I was greatly relieved by hearing Senhor Pimento's voice. 

"Turn round!" he exclaimed. "Fly! fly! I fear we may soon be pursued. We are all on board. I wish we had followed your advice. "

Back we paddled, as fast as we could urge our canoe through the water. Meantime the whole plantation appeared in a blaze--not only thebuildings, but the fields and groves of fruit-trees seemed to have beenset on fire. We made for the mouth of the igarape, where we found ourfather's canoe waiting for us. Away we all went together. The criesand shouts of the Indians, as they searched about for the proprietor, reached our ears. We had too much reason to believe that we should befollowed. There was sufficient light to enable us to keep in the centreof the water-path. We anxiously looked astern, expecting every momentto see the canoes of our enemies in our wake. In some places theigarape was so narrow, and the trees so completely joined overhead, thatwe could with difficulty discover our way, and were compelled to paddleat less speed to avoid running among the bushes at its borders. Andnow, from every side, those sounds which I have so often mentioned burstforth from the forest; yet, though so frequently before heard, theireffect was wonderfully depressing. Sometimes, indeed, they sounded soexactly like the cries of natives, that we felt sure we were pursued, and expected every moment to discover our enemies close astern of us. 

We continued our night voyage, paddling as fast as we could venture tomove through the darkness. Now and then the light penetrated into thecentre of the igarape, and allowed us to move faster. Ever and anonflights of magnificent fireflies flitted across the igarape, revealingthe foliage on either side, amid which sometimes it seemed as ifgigantic figures were stalking about, to seize us as we passed. Theywere, however, only the stems of decayed trees, or distorted branchesbending over the waters. 

Thus we went on, hour after hour, not venturing to stop even to rest theweary arms of the paddlers; for we had received too clear a warning ofwhat would be our fate should we fall into the power of the hithertosubmissive, but now savage and vindictive natives. It was no slightcause probably which had induced them to revolt. The cruelty andtyranny, the exactions and treachery of the white man had at lengthraised their phlegmatic natures, and they were about to exact a bitterrevenge for long years of oppression and wrong. As in many similarinstances, the innocent were doomed to suffer with the guilty; and asfar as we had been able to judge, our friend Senhor Pimento had treatedthose around him with all kindness and consideration. 

At length a pale light appeared ahead; and emerging from the dark shadesof the igarape, we entered the wide expanse of the Amazon, across whichat that instant the moon, rising above the line of forest, cast thesilvery light of her bright beams. My sisters, and even the Braziliangirls, uttered exclamations of admiration. We made our way across thelake-like expanse, which was now just rippled with a light breeze; andafter an hour's progress, found ourselves approaching a lofty wall offorest. Coasting along it, we entered a narrow channel similar to theone we had quitted. Here and there the moonbeams, penetrating amid thebranches, enabled us to find our way till we reached an open spot on theshores of a small lake. 

"Here, " said our father, "is the place I have selected for our retreat;and as the Indians will believe that we have continued down the stream, there is little probability, I think, of their coming here to search forus. If they do, we may escape through the opposite side, and take oneof several channels which will again conduct us into the main stream. "

There was sufficient light to enable us to erect rude huts for theaccommodation of the ladies of the party. As there was no fear of theglare of the fires shining through the forest, and thus betraying ourposition, we could venture to light a sufficient number for theprotection of the camp against wild beasts. 

The next morning found us quietly settled in our new location. Myfather and mother did their best to comfort Senhor Pimento and hisfamily for the loss of their property. 

"Think how much worse it would have been, " said my father, "had you, andyour wife, and daughters, and son been deprived of your lives! Weshould be thankful for the blessings we receive. "

"See, it is true--it is true, " answered our Portuguese friend. "But--"

"Oh, utter not any `buts, '" observed my father. "`But' is an ungratefulword. It should be discharged from human language. "

Ellen had saved all her pets, even her humming-bird; and she and Fanny, with the assistance of their Brazilian friends, had plenty of occupationin arranging accommodation for them. 

My father was anxious to have a larger vessel built, fit to navigate thelower part of the river, over whose sea-like expanse strong windsoccasionally blow, which our smaller canoes were but ill-calculated toencounter. The first thing, however, to be done, was to erect huts, inwhich the party might live till the vessel could be got ready, or tillthey received information that the voyage could be accomplished withoutrisk of being attacked by the rebels. 

"I have been thinking, Harry, " said Arthur, "that if Houlston and Nyassshould come down, and make for Senhor Pimento's farm, would there not bea great risk of their falling into the hands of the rebels, and beingkilled?"

"Indeed there would, " I answered. "I did not think of that. I wish wecould send and stop them. "

"Would it not be better to go ourselves?" asked Arthur. 

"Indeed it would, " I exclaimed. "We will see what my father says toit. "

I told John, who agreed with me; and we at once determined to proceed upthe stream with our Tucuna Indians. We promised them that on findingour friends they should have our canoe in which to perform theirhomeward voyage. They seemed perfectly satisfied, and we congratulatedourselves on the arrangement we had made. As there might not be room toreturn in their canoe, John, Arthur, and I determined to go alone. Wewould not even take Duppo, as he could do little, compared with theother Indians, in working our vessel. Fanny and Ellen were very unhappyat the thoughts of our going. We begged them to look after Duppo, andto give him his lessons in English till we should return. 

We started early in the morning, paddling vigorously up the stream, which we found a very different thing to going down with it. At firstwe kept along the shore, opposite Senhor Pimento's sitio, and thencrossed over, that we might have a better chance of seeing our friends, should they be coming down. For some time, when the wind was fair, werigged a sail, and were thus able to run up with ease against thecurrent. At night we always chose a spot where we could command a viewof the river, which had so much fallen by this time that we hoped ourfriends would keep in it instead of branching off among the channels atthe side. 

For several days we continued our voyage, till we began to fear thatsome accident might have happened, or that, not hearing of us, theymight have pushed onwards, with the intention of sailing up the Napo. Sometimes we slept under the awning in the montaria; sometimes we builthuts, according to our usual custom, on the shore. 

One morning, just as we were embarking, John shot a fine paca, which wetook on board, and agreed we would roast during our noon-day meal, whenour Indians generally lay down to sleep. At the hour we intended, wefound a bank, which afforded us a tempting resting-place. Arthur and Iagreed to act as cooks; while John, who had been up before daybreak withhis gun in the forest, said he would rest till dinner was ready. Thechief Indian, Tono, meantime took his blow-pipe and bow, saying he wouldgo into the forest and shoot some more game for supper, our stock havingbecome somewhat scanty; while his companions lay down to sleep in thecanoe. John lay down on the grass, away from the fire, though nearenough for the smoke to keep the flies at a distance. We had the pacascientifically trussed and spitted, and placed over the fire on twoforked sticks. Sometime! Arthur, sometimes I turned the spit. It wasmy turn to attend to it, and Arthur was sitting near me, when I felt theground shake, as if some large object had pitched down on it at my side;and what was my horror, on turning my head, to see Arthur, in the clawsof an enormous puma, being dragged over the ground. We had imprudentlyleft our guns in the montaria. At the same time John awoke, and quicklysprang into the canoe. I felt for my knife--the only weapon Ipossessed--when I found that I had left it on the other side of thefire, where John had been lying. As I turned my head for an instant, intending to seize it, I saw another puma stealthily approaching. Arthur did not cry out, but lay with his face on the ground, the betterto avoid the stroke of the puma's paw. Horror kept me from moving. Thesavage beast was dragging Arthur away. Despair seized me. His deathseemed inevitable. All passed in a moment. Then I saw John standing upin the montaria, with his rifle pointed at the puma's head. My tongueclove to my mouth. I could not shout out to awake the Indians. Thesecond puma was drawing near. I might be its victim. Just then John'srifle echoed through the forest: the puma which had seized Arthur sprangup in the air, and then down it fell, its claws only a few inches fromArthur's body. I now rushed up to him, and dragged him out of the wayof its dying struggles, calling to John to look after the other puma. The Indians had now started to their feet, uttering loud shrieks. Thepuma stopped just as I fancied it was about to spring at me, and turninground, bounded into the forest. They then, running up to where the pumalay, quickly despatched it with their spears; while John and I lifted upArthur and carried him to the side of the fire. He was insensible, butgroaned heavily. His arm and shoulder were fearfully torn, while hishead had received a blow, though comparatively a slight one, or it wouldinevitably have killed him. 

"O John, do you think he will recover?" I exclaimed, as we examined hishurts. 

"If we knew how to treat him, he might, " answered John; "but I am a verybad doctor, and I am afraid our Indians are not better ones. "

"Then, John, we must go back to the island, " I exclaimed; "it would beimpossible to continue our voyage with Arthur in this state; and thoughwe have been many days coming up, we may hope to get back again in twoor three. "

John agreed with me, and we explained our intentions to the Indianboatmen. They looked very dissatisfied, especially Tono, who just thenreturned from his shooting excursion. I had not from the first likedhis countenance, and I saw by his gestures that he was endeavouring toincite his companions to disregard our orders. 

Though on their side they mustered four stout, athletic fellows, yetJohn and I had our rifles, and we agreed, for Arthur's sake, to makethem do as we thought best. John at once reloaded his rifle; and assoon as he had done so, he told me to hurry down to the boat and seizemine. I got hold of it before the Indians were aware of my intention, and quickly rejoined him. Our first care was to wash and dress Arthur'swounds as well as we could. John covered me with his rifle, while Iwent down to get the water. 

"Now, Harry, " he said, "as we do not know when we shall be able to dressanother paca, we had better make a good dinner off the portion which hasescaped burning during the time you were unable to turn the spit. "

Having finished our meal, and secured a portion for Arthur--in the hopehe might recover sufficiently to eat it--we handed the rest to our crew. They took it sulkily enough, and returned with it to the montaria. 

"We must keep a sharp look-out on these fellows; for, depend upon it, they intend to play us a trick, " observed John. 

Our chief difficulty was now how to get Arthur into the montaria; forwhile we were occupied in so doing, they might suddenly attack us. 

"You must guard me, Harry, while I lift him up. He is a good weight, but still I can carry him as far as the montaria, " observed John. 

He did so; while I walked by his side, with my rifle ready for action. When the Indians saw how much Arthur was hurt, they appeared to feelcompassion for him, and expressed their sorrow by signs. When weordered them to shove off, they obeyed at once, and willingly paddled ondown the river again. 

"I really think, after all, we must have been mistaken in our opinion ofthose men, " said John. "I never like to think harm of ourfellow-creatures. Perhaps, after all, they did not understand us. "

I was not quite so certain of this. A strong breeze came up the river, and prevented us making as much progress as we had expected. As eveningdrew on it increased greatly, and signs of a storm appeared in the sky. We were over on the southern shore, and had passed an island near themainland similar to the one on which our family had lately taken refuge. Just then the tempest burst on us. I had observed an opening in theforest, apparently the mouth of a channel, and towards it we nowsteered. It was not without difficulty, however, that we could keep thecanoe before the fast rising seas. Had we fallen into the trough, weshould instantly have been upset. 

The Indians seemed well aware of our danger, and paddled steadily. Iwas thankful when at length we found ourselves is calm water, though thewind still whistled and howled through the trees, which bent their tallboughs over our heads, as if they would come down and crush our bark. We paddled on, therefore, for some distance, till we reached a shelteredspot, where we agreed to land and build a hut, that Arthur might sleepmore comfortably than he could in the canoe. 

When we told the Indians what we wanted, they immediately set to work, with apparent good-will; and in a short time had erected a neat andcomfortable hut, with a bed-place of bamboos. On this, having spreadseveral mats brought from the canoe, we placed Arthur. 

"Oh, how kind you are, " he whispered. 

I was rejoiced to hear him speak. 

"I know all about it, " he added; "I saw the puma, but had not time tocry out. "

The Indians had consumed the remainder of the paca; and as there wasstill an hour or more of daylight, they proposed going out to catch somefish. I thought of accompanying them, but I did not like to leaveArthur. John then said he would go; but when he got down to the water, the Indians had already shoved off. 

"I dare say I may find some game in the woods, and that may be betterfor Arthur than fish, " he observed, coming back. 

We saw the canoe at a little distance, the Indians standing ready, somewith their harpoons and others with their bows, to strike any fish whichmight be passing. Now they came nearer to us, and I saw they had struckseveral fish. With these they returned to the shore, and called to meto come and receive them. Tono then made signs that he would go and getsome more, and again they paddled off. I became quite vexed at havingentertained unjust suspicions of them. After they had got to a littledistance, I saw them strike another fish--evidently a large one, by thetime they took to haul it in. Now they went further and further off. At length I lost sight of them. 

John had in the meantime gone into the woods with his gun. He returned, just as it was growing dusk, with a couple of birds, which heimmediately plucked and prepared for roasting at the fire which I hadmade up. Our pot for boiling fish had been left in the canoe. Wecould, therefore, only roast a portion of those just caught by theIndians. 

"They ought to be back by this time, " observed John, as the shades ofnight fell over the river. 

"The fish seemed to be plentiful, and probably they have been tempted togo further off than they proposed, " I observed. 

Still we waited and waited, and they did not return. John went a littleway along the bank, and shouted loudly; but no answer came to his hail. At length we hung up our hammocks; and having attended to Arthur, addedfuel to our fire, and placed True at the entrance of our hut to watch, we lay down to rest. Still, neither John nor I felt much inclined tosleep. 

"I am afraid that Tono and his people, after all, have gone off in thecanoe, " I said at last. 

"I suspect so too, " he answered; "but yet they were behaving so well, that I did not think they would play us so treacherous a trick. "

"We shall soon see, however. I cannot help expecting to hear themreturn every moment. "

We waited and waited, anxiety keeping us awake. Several times I got upto give Arthur a little water, which was all he appeared inclined totake. He was much less feverish than I expected. Towards morning, however, he began to ramble in his speech, and talked about his motherand father, and a young sister who had died. "I thought I should findhim, " I heard him say. "Oh, that my mother could have lived to haveseen him again! Oh, that I could once more be with him! If he werehere now, I am sure that I should soon get well. " These words were saidat intervals, between other less coherent remarks. 

Daylight broke before I had closed my eyes. We again looked out, in thefaint hope that the Indians might have landed at some spot near us, andencamped for the night; but we could nowhere see them. We were atlength convinced that they had made off with our canoe, and deserted us. Had we been by ourselves, our position would have been bad enough; butwith poor Arthur in his wounded state, requiring immediate help, it wasstill worse. The Indians had so long behaved well and faithfully, thatwe had not supposed them capable of such conduct, although they hadshowed such discontent on the previous day. 

"What must we do?" I asked of John. 

"We must either build a canoe or a raft, or wait till we can hail somepassing craft, and get taken off, " he answered. "Our father willcertainly send and look for us by-and-by, when he finds that we do notreturn; but in the meantime they will all be very anxious, and thinkthat we have been cut off by the rebels. "

John and I had fortunately brought our guns and ammunition; so that wewere better off than we might have been had the Indians overpowered us, and put us on shore by force. We were, indeed, able to supply ourselvesamply with food, but it was not well suited for Arthur. By the end ofthe day he appeared to have grown worse instead of better. I sat upwith him part of the night, forgetting how little sleep I had had forsome time. He rambled more than ever. It was painful sometimes to hearhim. When he at last dropped to sleep, I began to doze also, till Islipped off my seat, and lay utterly overcome with fatigue on theground. It was daylight, and I found John lifting me up. I had neverseen him look so anxious. 

"I thought you had swooned, Harry, " he said; "and poor Arthur seems nobetter. What can we do for him?"

I looked at Arthur. He was in a troubled sleep, was very pale, anduttering incoherent expressions. I would have given anything to haveknown what to do; but except moistening his lips with water, there wasnothing I could think of likely to benefit him. All day long heremained in that state. I sat by his side, while John occasionally wentout with his gun. He was never long absent, as he said he could notbear the thought of being away from Arthur, fearing he might be worse. Now and then I got up and added fresh fuel to our fire, that I mightmake some broth with some of the game John had brought in; thinking thatmight possibly do good to my poor patient. I was thus employed, when Iheard John shout out. Taking a glance at Arthur, I ran forward, when Icaught sight of John near the bank, waving his hat, while just beyondhim was a montaria, with a number of people in her, among whom Idistinguished the tall figure of the recluse standing up and waving inreturn. The canoe approached the bank just as I reached it; anddirectly afterwards two other persons jumped up and waved to us, while adog put his paws on the gunwale and uttered a loud bark. True, who hadfollowed me, barked in return. What was my joy to recognise my two oldschool-fellows Houlston and Tony. In a couple of minutes they were onshore, and we were warmly shaking hands; while True and Faithful wererubbing noses with equal cordiality. 

"Where is my boy?" exclaimed the recluse--or rather Mr Mallet, for so Ishould properly call him. 

"He is with us. He has been sadly hurt. If any one can do him good, Iam sure you can, sir, " I said. 

"Oh, take me to him--show me where he is!" exclaimed Mr Mallet, in ananxious tone. "Hand me out that box there! It contains the fewmedicines I possess--it may be of use. "

"Is it Arthur Mallet he is speaking of?" asked Houlston, following withthe chest. "What is the matter with him?"

I told him briefly what had occurred. There were several other personsin the canoe, but I was too much interested in my friends to observethem. We hurried back to the hut where Arthur was lying. The reclusehad hastened on before us, and was now kneeling by the side of his youngson. He was perfectly calm, but I saw how much he felt, by theexpression of his anxious countenance. Arthur opened his eyes andrecognised his father. 

"This is what I was praying for, " he whispered. "I have been very ill, and was afraid of leaving the world without once again seeing you. I amso thankful. If it is God's will, I am now ready to die. "

"Oh, but I pray it may not be his will, my boy, " said Mr Mallet. "Youmust live for my sake, to be a comfort and support to me. "

"You will not go back, then, and live in the woods by yourself, my dearfather?" said Arthur. 

"No; I hope to live wherever you do, my boy, " he answered. 

Arthur's pale countenance brightened, and he pressed his father's hand. 

"You must not talk, however, Arthur, " said Mr Mallet. "You requirerest, and I may find some remedies which may benefit you. "

He eagerly looked over the contents of his medicine-chest; and desiringto have some fresh-water brought him, he quickly compounded a draught, which he gave to Arthur. We left the father and son together, while wereturned to the canoe. On our way Houlston and Tony recounted to mebriefly what had occurred. They had made their way nearly up to themouth of the Napo, when, not finding us, they had determined to visitevery spot on the shore where we were likely to have stopped. They hadat length put into the creek, near the abode of the recluse. 

"Much to our surprise, " said Houlston, "we were accosted in English by atall white man. On telling him our errand, he informed us that you hadlong since gone down the stream, and seemed very much surprised andgrieved to find that we had not encountered you. He at once volunteeredto accompany us, saying that he was greatly interested in your welfare, and could not rest satisfied without assisting in our search for you. We were, of course, very glad to have his company; and going back to hishut, he soon returned with two Indians--a man and his wife--who alsowished to come with us. They are there, " and Houlston pointed to thecanoe. 

Just then one of the Indians landed; and though dressed in a shirt andtrousers, I recognised him as our friend Maono. He was followed byIllora, also habited in more civilised costume than when we had at firstseen her. They greeted me kindly, and inquired, with more warmth thanIndians generally exhibit, for their son and daughter. I assured themof their welfare, and of the esteem in which they were held by myfamily. They appeared to be gratified, and then inquired for theIndians who had accompanied us. Maono was excessively indignant when wetold him of the trick they had played us, and threatened to put them todeath when he got back to his people. We entreated him, however, forour sakes, not to punish them so severely; indeed, we told him we wouldrather he pardoned them altogether, as they had been influenced by adesire to return to their people, and perhaps supposed that we mightprevent them from so doing. They had till that moment been faithful andobedient, and we assured him that we had had no cause to complain ofthem. 

Some time was spent in talking to Tony and Houlston. On our return tothe hut we found Mr Mallet standing in front of it. He said Arthur wasimproving, but begged that we would remain where we were, as he wasunwilling to move him at present. We of course willingly agreed to dowhat he wished, and forthwith set to work to put up huts for the time wemight have to remain on the island. We gave up our hut to Mr Malletand Arthur, and made a large fire in front of it, while we had another, at which we cooked our suppers. Not for a moment, I believe, did therecluse close his eyes during that night, though most of our party sleptsoundly. Whenever I awoke I saw him moving to and fro. Once I couldnot help getting out of my hammock and asking him whether Arthur wasimproving. "I trust he may be, " was the answer. "I shall knowto-morrow. "

In the morning Arthur certainly appeared better, his wounds having beendressed by the skilful hands of his father. Arthur's state, however, was still too precarious to allow of his removal without risk. Anxiousas we were to get back to our friends, we remained, therefore, threedays longer on the island. Occasionally John, Houlston, Tony, and Imade excursions to the mainland, finding it inhabited, to shoot; whileMaono and Illora were very successful in their fishing expeditions. 

"Oh, I wish Arthur was well!" exclaimed Tony. "This is just the sort offun we were looking forward to; and I say, Harry, I hope it is only thebeginning of our adventures. Our employers, I know, will very gladlysend us up the river to purchase produce, and I dare say you can makearrangements to come with us. "

I of course said I should be very glad to do so, though I could not thensay what my father intended to do after reaching Para. 

We shot a good deal of game--quadruped, four-handed, and feathered. Among the latter, by-the-by, was a curious bird, which we found feedingon the marshy banks of a lake, to which we made our way, attracted byits loud and peculiar cry. Creeping on, we caught sight of it as itstood on the shore. Houlston, who first saw it, declared that it was alarge crane. It was about the size of a swan, and getting nearer, I sawthat it had an extraordinary horn on the top of its head, surrounded byblack and white feathers, while the upper part of its wings had twosharp horns projecting from them--formidable weapons of attack ordefence. Houlston fired, but missed. He had not improved as asportsman since we parted. John at that moment came up, and sent a ballinto the bird's neck. On this True and Faithful dashed forward, butstill the bird, though unable to run, showed fight with its wings andkept them at bay. It soon, however, sunk down lifeless on the ground. Its plumage was very handsome. The head and neck were of agreenish-brown colour, covered with soft feathers. The breast andthighs were of silvery white, and the back was black, with the exceptionof the upper part, which was brown, with yellow spots. It was, wefound, the anhima of the Brazils, known also as the horned kamichi, or, more learnedly, _Palamedea_. It is sometimes called the hornedscreamer, from its loud and wild cry. We laughingly told Houlston that, as he had missed it, he should have the honour of carrying it; which hevery good-naturedly did, though it was a considerable load to bearthrough the forest. 

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE. 

CONCLUSION. 

Next morning Mr Mallet gave us the satisfactory intelligence thatArthur was sufficiently well to bear moving. We therefore at onceproceeded on our voyage. Each day after that he improved; and at lengthwe came in sight of the island where we had left our family. We hadsome, difficulty in finding our way up the narrow channel which led totheir camp. As we approached the spot, we saw a good-sized vessel onthe stocks, surrounded by a number of persons. One of them, discoveringus as we turned the point, shouted to his companions, when, suddenlyleaving their work, they advanced towards us with guns in their hands ina threatening attitude. We shouted out to them, when they, perceivingthat we were friends, came forward to meet us. Our father was among thefirst we saw. After he had received us affectionately, and warmlygreeted Houlston and Tony, we told him that Mr Mallet had come with us. No sooner did my father see him, than, taking his hand, he exclaimed, "What, my old friend and school-fellow! I little expected to find youout here! Where have you come from?"

"From the wilderness, where I have spent long years of banishment, andfrom whence my young son succeeded in thus too far dragging me forth. Icould not make him lead the life I have so long lived, and I cannot bearthe thought of parting from him. "

"And what could make you wish to think of doing anything of the sort?"exclaimed my father. "You surprised all your friends by leavingEngland--so my brother long since wrote me word--and no one has beenable to account for it. "

"Not account for it!" exclaimed Mr Mallet. "Surely my friends wouldnot have wished me to remain, dishonoured or disgraced, or doomed to afelon's death?"

He looked round as he spoke, and seeing that I was nearer than he hadsupposed, led my father to a distance. Meantime our mother, Fanny, andEllen, had come down. 

I need not describe our meeting, or the concern Ellen exhibited athearing of Arthur's accident, and saw his still, pale face as we liftedhim out of the canoe. He was, however, able to walk with ourassistance. We found the whole party very anxious, as information hadreached them that the natives had discovered their retreat and intendedattacking them. They had therefore been hurrying on the large montariawith all speed, in hopes of getting away before the arrival of theenemy. 

In a short time our father and Mr Mallet arrived. A wonderful changehad taken place in the countenance of the latter. He now looked brightand cheerful, and a smile played over his features such as I had neverbefore seen them wear. After being introduced to my mother and sisters, and Senhor Pimento's family, he hurried up to Arthur, and as he threwhis arms round his neck tears burst from his eyes, but they wereevidently tears of joy. 

"But we must not lose time, " said my father, pointing to the vessel, atwhich Domingos and Antonio and the other men were still busily working. We soon had occupation given us--ample to employ our minds as well asour hands. Arthur was taken good care of by my mother and sisters, andI was glad to see him play with Nimble and Toby, who at once knew him. We worked away till dark. The fires were lighted, and by their brightblaze we were still able to continue our labours. Thus we hoped in acouple of days to have our craft ready for launching. It was deckedover astern and forward, so as to afford a cabin to the ladies andshelter for our stores, which required protection from the weather. Wehad large mat-sails and long oars, so that she was well fitted, wehoped, to encounter the heavy seas we were likely to meet with towardsthe mouth of the mighty river. John suggested that we should erect astockade near the vessel, behind which we might defend ourselves, andprevent her from being burned, should the rebels make the threatenedattack. This we all set to work to do; and as we had an abundance ofmaterials at hand, a fort was soon erected, of sufficient strength, ifdefended by firearms, to repel any attack the natives were likely tomake against it. 

"I hope the fellows will come on!" exclaimed Tony, who, with Houlston, was among the most active in the work. "I should like to be engaged ina skirmish. We have had but a tame life of it. I thought we might haveseen some of the fun going forward at Santarem; but the whites had allescaped out of the place before we passed by, and the red-skins hadpossession of it. "

"I rather think we were fortunate in escaping those same red-skins!"exclaimed Houlston. "They murdered all the whites they could find, andthey would probably have treated us in the same way if we had fallen inwith them. If those fellows had attacked us, depend upon it we shouldhave had to fight hard for our lives. "

"Perhaps, my friend, we can find some better means of keeping the enemyat bay than those you are taking, " observed the recluse. "However, follow your own plan. I trust, for the sake of humanity that it may belabour lost. "

I did not hear John's reply, but he continued the work. Scouts weresent out at night to watch the entrance of the channel, lest the rebelsmight attempt to steal upon us during the hours of darkness; while weall slept with our arms ready for instant use. 

I was awakened by hearing a shot fired. Another followed. "The rebelsare coming!" I heard my father shouting out. "To your posts, myfriends!"

In less than a minute our whole party had assembled, and with my fatherat our head, we advanced in the direction whence the shots hadproceeded. Before we had gone many paces, our two scouts came runningup with the announcement that several canoes were approaching the mouthof the igarape. Daylight was just then breaking, though it had notpenetrated into the forest. The two Indians were again sent back towatch the further movements of the rebels. We meantime held a councilof war, and having conveyed all our stores and provisions within thestockade, retired to it, there to await the enemy. In a short time thescouts came back, reporting that the Indians had landed, and wereadvancing through the forest. 

"Let me now try, my friends, what I can do with these people, " said therecluse, standing up in our midst. "I resided among them for some time. They know me, and I trust will be more ready to listen to my argumentsthan to those with which you are prepared to receive them. "

"Pray do as you judge best, " said my father. 

Senhor Pimento appeared to have little confidence in his success, andaddressing his people, entreated them to fight bravely, as the rebelswould certainly give them no quarter. 

The recluse, without further delay, taking not even a stick in his hand, went forth from the fort, and was soon lost to sight among the shades ofthe forest. Our Portuguese friends were in a great state of agitation;but my sisters, especially Ellen, remained perfectly calm. Icomplimented her on her courage. "Oh, I am sure Arthur's father willaccomplish what he undertakes, " she answered. "I have therefore no fearof an attack. "

We, however, could not help looking anxiously for the return of therecluse. The time went slowly by. "I am afraid the wretches will shoothim before he has time to speak to them, " observed Senhor Pimento. Pedro, who was of a generous, warm-hearted disposition, proposed thatsome of us should sally out, and try and overtake him before he reachedthe enemy. 

This was overruled by my father. "Our friend does not act withoutjudgment, " he observed. "He knows the character of the people betterperhaps than we do. Hark! what is that?" The sound of many voicesshouting came faintly through the forest, as from a distance. 

"Hurrah! they are coming on to attack us!" cried Tony; "we will givethem a warm reception. "

"I hope rather that those sounds betoken that the Indians haverecognised our friend, " observed my father. 

Still we waited, many of our party looking out, as if they expected tosee the rebels approaching in battle array. At length a single figureappeared emerging from the forest. It was the recluse. He hurriedforward towards us, and on entering the fort, took my father, John, andI aside. 

"I have not been so successful as I should wish, " he said. "They areperfectly ready to let the English, with whom they have no cause ofquarrel, go free, but they insist that the Portuguese gentleman and hisson should be delivered up to them, though they consent to allow therest of his family to accompany you if you wish it. "

"We cannot accept such terms, " said my father at once. "We are resolvedto defend our friends with our lives!"

"I thought as much, " said Mr Mallet. "I promised, however, to conveytheir message, in order to gain time. Is there no way by which yourfriends can escape by the other end of the igarape?"

"There may be, but the Indians know it as well as we do, " observed myfather, "and would probably lie in wait to catch them. I must ask youto return and inform them that we cannot give up our friends who havehospitably entertained us, and that if they insist on attacking thefort, they must take the consequences. "

The recluse once more went back to the insurgent Indians. Pedro, onhearing the message, tried to persuade his father to escape with him inone of the small canoes; but the old gentleman declared at once that hewould not make the attempt, as he was sure he should thus only fall intothe hands of his enemies. 

We now anxiously awaited the return of our friend. An hour passed by, when we saw among the trees a large number of natives approaching thefort, some armed with muskets, but the greater number with bows andarrows. 

"We shall have no difficulty in beating back that rabble!" exclaimedTony. "We must first pick off the fellows with firearms, and the otherswill soon take to flight. "

I did not feel so confident as my friend. The enemy from their numbersalone were formidable, and if well led, might, I feared, easilyoverpower us. Their numbers increased, and they seemed on the point ofmaking a dash at the fort, when a loud shout was raised behind them. They turned round, looking eagerly in the direction from whence it came. Presently three persons came out from among them. One I recognised asthe recluse; but the other two I looked at again and again, and atlength was convinced that one was Don Jose, and the other his attendantIsoro. Don Jose, turning to the natives, addressed them in the LinguaGeral, which they all probably understood. They were sufficiently nearfor us to hear what was said. 

"My friends, " he exclaimed, "what is it you require? Do you seek theblood of these white people? What will that benefit you? Listen toPumacagua--a Peruvian cacique--who regards with affection the wholeIndian race; who would wish to see them united as one tribe, prosperousand happy, enjoying all the benefits of our magnificent country. If youdestroy these people, you will but bring down the vengeance of thepowerful whites on your heads. Some among them are my friends. Theyhave never harmed you. They wish you well, I know, and are even nowsufferers for the cause of liberty. Be advised by me. Return to yourhomes, and seek not by force to obtain your rights. It will, I know toowell by bitter experience, be in vain. Trust to me and my Englishfriends, who will not rest till we have gained for you the justice youdemand. "

We saw the leaders among the Indians consulting together. The reclusenow went among them, and addressed them earnestly. His and Don Jose'swords seemed to have a powerful effect. Greatly to our relief, theybegan to retire through the forest. Our friends accompanied them totheir canoes, while Arthur and I followed at a distance to watch whatwould next take place. The canoes were launched, and the natives, bidding an affectionate farewell to the recluse, and a respectful one toPumacagua, leaped into them, and took their departure to the oppositebank of the river. We hurried on to meet our friends, and soonafterwards my father came out of the fort to welcome Don Jose. Theygreeted each other warmly. 

"Finding that I could no longer render service to my countrymen, andthat my own life was in constant danger, " Don Jose said, "I was on myway down the river to join you, when I saw a large number of canoesdrawn up on the beach, a few people only remaining with them. From themI learned what was taking place, and I at once suspected, from what theytold me, who it was they were about to attack. I instantly landed, andovertook the main body of insurgents. The rest you know. "

Our friends then returned to the fort, and all hands at once set to workto complete our vessel. Tony alone was somewhat disappointed at sopacific a termination to the affair. The additional hands whom Don Josehad brought with him were of great assistance, as they were all expertboat-builders; and in less than a couple of days our craft was launched, and ready to proceed on her voyage. Don Jose and our father had, ofcourse, much to talk about. The former seemed greatly out of spirits atthe turn affairs had taken, and in despair of the establishment of trueliberty in his country. His affection for my father had induced him tofollow us, and he purposed to remain with him at Para till a change ofaffairs in Peru might enable him to return. 

The rainy season was now completely over; though the heat was verygreat, the weather was fine. At length our new vessel, which we calledthe _Manatee_, with the canoes of Don Jose and Houlston in company, emerging from the igarape, made sail to the eastward. 

I have not space to describe the voyage. Sometimes we navigated a wideexpanse of water, where the river's banks were several miles apart;sometimes we passed amid an archipelago, through narrow channels wherethe branches of the giant trees almost joined overhead. Sometimes wesailed on with a favourable breeze, and at other times had to lower oursails and take to the oars. For some hundred miles we had the greenforest alone in sight on either side, and here and there long extendingsand-banks, in which turtles are wont to lay their eggs. As we passednear the shore, vast numbers of wild fowl were seen on the banks, whilethe river swarmed with living creatures. Dolphins came swimming by, showing their heads above the surface, again to plunge down as theyadvanced up the stream. Now and then we caught sight of a huge manatee, and we saw alligators everywhere basking on the shores or showing theirugly snouts above the surface. At length a high, flat-topped range ofhills appeared on our left hand--the spurs, I believe, of the mountainsof Guiana. The river was now for some distance fully ten miles inwidth; so wide, indeed, that it looked more like an inland sea or theocean itself than a fresh-water stream. At length we entered one end ofthe Tajapuru, which is a curious natural canal, extending for onehundred miles or more from the main stream towards the city of Para. Itis of great depth in some places, and one hundred yards in width; but inothers so narrow that the topmost boughs of the trees almost met overour heads. Often as we sailed along we were hemmed in by two greenwalls, eighty feet in height, which made it seem as if we were sailingthrough a deep gorge. Emerging from it, we entered the Para river, andsailing on, were soon in a magnificent sea-like expanse, the only shorevisible being that of the island of Marajo, presenting a narrow blueline far away on our left. We passed a number of curious boats andrafts of various shapes and rigs, bringing produce from the villages andfarms scattered along the banks of the many vast rivers which pour theirwaters into the Atlantic. Still, all this time, we were navigatingmerely one of the branches of the mighty Amazon; for, though we had longfelt the influence of the tide, yet the water, even when it was flowing, was but slightly brackish. 

At length, entering the sheltered bay of Goajara, we, with thankfulhearts, saw the city of Para stretching out before us along the shore, and our vessel was soon moored in safety alongside the quay. Houlstonand Tony hurried off to their friends, who came down to welcome us andtake us to their house. In most places we should have attracted nosmall amount of curiosity as we proceeded through the streets. Each ofthe ladies, as well as Maria and the Indian girl, with two or moreparrots and other birds on their shoulders; Nimble sitting on mine withhis tail round my neck; Arthur carrying Toby; while Tony and Houlstonhad a couple of monkeys apiece, which they had obtained on their voyage. Such a spectacle, however, was too common in Para to attract muchattention. 

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I must now, as briefly as possible, bring my journal to a conclusion. My father here resolved to establish a house of business, of which MrMallet was to be made chief manager, with Arthur as his assistant. Maono and Illora, after remaining some time with us, considerably, Ihope, to their benefit, returned to their people with the intention ofshowing them the advantages of civilisation, and imparting a knowledgeof the true God and his plan of salvation, which they themselves hadobtained. We were thankful that they consented to leave Duppo and Oriawith us. The two young Indians made rapid progress in English, besideslearning Portuguese; and Ellen and Arthur spared no pains in theirendeavours to instruct them in the more important truths of religion. Don Jose and his faithful Isoro returned at length to Ecuador, whenpeace was once more established in that long distracted province; andthe cacique wrote whenever an opportunity occurred for sending a letterdown the Amazon. Senhor Pimento and his family after a time returned totheir estate, and we never failed to pay them a visit when we went upthe river. The rebellion of the natives was at length happily quelled, with less bloodshed than often occurs under similar circumstances. 

Houlston, Arthur, Tony, and I made not only one, but several excursionsup the mighty river, and throughout many parts of that wonderful regionembraced by the Brazils. I might give a long account of our adventures, which were not less interesting than those I have already described. Perhaps I may some day have an opportunity of doing so. 

Nimble and Toby lived to the extreme end of monkey existence--thepatriarchs of Ellen's ever-increasing menagerie, which was superintendedby Domingos when she had more important duties to attend to, andguarded, I may add, by the two attached canine brethren, Faithful andTrue. 

I made two trips to England, each time on board the _Inca_, stillcommanded by Captain Byles. The first time Sam was on board, but on ourreturn to Para he obtained his discharge, and settled down in that city, where I often had the pleasure of a long talk with him. "Ah, MassaHarry!" he used to say, "I chose de good part, and God take care of meas he promise; and his promise neber fail. He gib me good t'ings here, and I know him gib me better when I go up dere;" and he pointed to theblue sky, seen through the front of the provision store of which he wasthe owner. 

I am thankful to say that the rest of my friends also, as Sam had done, chose "the good part. " Arthur had the happiness of being the means ofbringing his father to a knowledge of the truth. His great wish was tomake the simple gospel known among the long benighted natives of thatmagnificent region in which we met with the adventures I have recorded, and, though hitherto opposed by difficulties which have appearedinsurmountable, he still cherishes the hope that they may be overcome, and that missionaries with the Bible in their hand may, ere long, befound traversing the mighty Amazon and its tributaries, now ploughed bynumerous steamers up to the very foot of the Andes, engaged in openingup to commerce the unmeasured resources of the Brazils. I should indeedbe thankful if my tale contributes to draw the attention of theChristian philanthropist to the unhappy condition of the numerous tribesof that interesting country which I have attempted to describe.