 unwilling to light a fire on the raft, we cut them up and dried
them in the sun.  Though not very palatable, they enabled us to
economise the rest of our provisions; and the natives, and even Peter,
had no objection to eat them raw.

For three days we lay totally becalmed.  Fortunately we most of us had
some occupation.  Uncle Paul, the skipper, and I were engaged in making
floats from the large nuts I spoke of.  Having bored a hole, we scraped
out the kernel, and then stopped up the orifice again with some resinous
substance which Uncle Paul had brought for the purpose.  The natives,
assisted by the mate, were manufacturing spears and bows and arrows.
When not thus occupied, we were engaged in fishing.  Most of our hooks
were small, and we could only venture to haul up moderately-sized fish
with them.  We had, however, one big hook with a strong line, and we
hoped with it to catch a proportionately large fish.  We were not
disappointed.  I had the line in my hand.  Before long I felt a strong
pull.  I gave a jerk, and when I fancied that the unwary creature was
firmly hooked, I began to haul away.  I had, however, to call to my
friends for assistance; for I thought it far more likely that the fish
would pull me in, than that I should succeed in pulling him out.  Uncle
Paul and the skipper then took hold of the line.  Our fear was that the
fish would break away, for there was not line enough to play him, and
our only way of securing him was by main force.  At length we got his
head out of the water, when the Indians exclaimed, "Periecu! periecu!"
and stooping down, and putting their fingers in the fish's gills, they
hauled it up.  He was upwards of three feet in length, and covered with
beautiful scales--indeed, I have never seen a finer fish.  Some blows on
the head finally secured him.  The Indians said that his flesh might be
preserved by drying, but thought some days would be required for the
operation.  We preferred eating some of it fresh, but not raw; so we
began to think of lighting a fire.

For some time we had been drifting much closer in with the forest, and
we agreed that by a little exertion in rowing we might get up to some of
the trees, from which we could obtain a supply of fuel.  This we
accomplished, and lowering our sail, and unstepping our mast, we got
close in under the trees.  With our axe and knives we soon got a supply
of dry branches.  As no place presented itself on any of the lower
branches where we could light a fire, we resolved to do so on the log.
Having piled up our fuel, we paddled out again into the open water.
Uncle Paul had his tinder-box, and a few cherished matches--not that we
were entirely dependent on them, as the natives could always, by a
little exertion, kindle a flame.  We did not step our mast, which, with
the sail and yard, lay alongside.  Our fire was soon lighted, and a
portion of our periecu was spitted and placed over it to roast.  The
fish appeared to be cooking famously, as we sat on the log, some at one
end and some at the other.  Suddenly a light wind got up, and in an
instant what was our dismay to see the whole centre part of the log on
fire!  Up it blazed, spreading so rapidly that we had scarcely time,
some seizing one article and some another, to spring overboard with our
floats round our waists.  Quacko in a great fright clung to Kallolo's
back, where he sat chattering away, loudly expressing his annoyance at
what had occurred.  Maco made a dash on the half-roasted periecu, which
would otherwise have run a great risk of being overdone, and leaped
after us.  Happily nothing of value was left behind, while our mast and
sail, being in the water, were also safe.  There we were, floating about
round the log, which, from the fierce way the flames blazed up, would,
we feared, be soon burned to the water's edge.  "This must not be!"
cried the skipper and Uncle Paul almost at the same time.  "Pipe all
hands to extinguish the fire!"  Suiting the action to the word, they
setting the example, we all, as we floated about on our lifebuoys, began
to throw water on the flames with our hands.

"Heave away, my lads! heave away, and put out the flames!" cried Uncle
Paul.  Fortunately the fire had not got any real hold on the log, having
fed chiefly on the dry mass of parasitic plants which thickly covered
it, so that, by throwing water over it merely with the palms of our
hands, we managed in a short time to put it out.  Maco, who was the
first to climb on to the deck, uttering a loud cry jumped off again
still more rapidly, it being as yet far too hot to make a comfortable
resting-place.  We therefore continued for some time longer to throw up
the water to cool it.

At length we again ventured on board.  It looked something like the
bottom of a coal barge in a rainy day; it was covered with saturated
cinders, which it took us a considerable time before we could sweep off
into the water.  Quacko looked with much suspicion at the burned embers,
as if he thought they would blaze up again, and declined leaving
Kallolo's shoulders, where alone he considered himself secure.  Having
put our craft right, we sat down to feast on the portion of the periecu
we had been cooking, and very satisfactory food it proved.  We then
stepped our mast, and set up the rigging, so as to be ready to proceed
on our voyage as soon as the wind should again spring up.  It came
sooner than we expected, but instead of blowing up the stream, it came
directly down, and both the skipper and Uncle Paul agreed that it was
likely to continue in the same quarter for several days.

We had now run somewhat short of provisions, and had made but
inconsiderable progress on our voyage of discovery.  Uncle Paul
therefore proposed that we should go back to our friends, and wait till
the wind should again shift to its old quarter.  Unless, indeed, we
could secure the log to a tree, we should be drifted back several miles.
We might obtain food by climbing the trees, but we were not likely to
catch any fish while we remained close to them, and we should probably,
after all, have to put back in want of provisions.  These arguments
prevailed with the skipper.  The head of the log was got round, sail was
made, and we glided back at a much faster rate than we had come up
against the current.

CHAPTER EIGHT.

ARRIVAL AT GROVE ISLAND--SEARCH FOR PROVISIONS--CAPTURE OF THE SLOTH--
SMOKED SLOTH--DEPARTURE FROM GROVE ISLAND--A FEARFUL ATTACK--UP AN
IGARAPE--THE INDIAN ENCAMPMENT.

The sun was just setting when we reached the clump of trees where we had
left our friends, and lowering our mast, we paddled on to the
landing-place.  As might be supposed, they were very much surprised at
seeing us return, and naturally fancied that some accident had happened.

"What is the matter?" asked Arthur, who hurried down to meet us.

"Nothing the matter, my friends, only a foul wind has driven us back
into port," answered the skipper, laughing.  "Ya, ya! we shall sail
again soon with a fair breeze, and we mean to complete our voyage the
next time."

We found that everything had been going on quietly during our absence.
My father had gradually recovered his strength, and Marian felt much
better from being able to take a walk on the platform.  A hut had been
constructed for her of palm-leaves, at Arthur's suggestion.  Arthur,
Tim, and the black had been successful in their hunting expeditions.
They had, wisely, not ventured again into the macawery, but had caught
in various parts of the grove several parrots and other birds.  They had
again seen the sloth; but, as they did not require the creature for
food, they allowed it to enjoy its existence.  Its chance of life,
however, with the increased numbers in the settlement, was very small;
for Kallolo and Maco undertook to capture the poor animal before dawn,
if they could find it.  They said they could do so at that time much
more easily than in daylight, when it would be awake, and could scramble
off much faster than they could follow