e blood-stained leaf from Battle's
little book again, and had huddled himself down beside the slumbering
travellers, he still seemed to hear the forlorn singing of the
Water-midden, and in his eyes her small face haunted, amid the darkness
of his dreams.

All the next morning the travellers slaved at their rafts. They made
them narrow and buoyant and very strong, for they knew not what might
lie beyond the mouth of the cavern. And now the sun shone down so
fiercely that the Mulgars, climbing, hacking, dragging at the branches,
and moiling to and fro betwixt forest and water, teased by flies and
stinging ants, hardly knew what to do for the heat. Thumb and Thimble
stripped off the few rags left of their red jackets, and worked in their
skins with better comfort. And they laughed at Nod for sweating on in
his wool.

"Look, Thumb," laughed Thimble, peering out from under a tower of
greenery, "the little Prince is so vain of his tattered old
sheep's-jacket that he won't walk in his bare an instant, yet he is so
hot he can scarcely breathe."

Nod made no answer, but worked stolidly on, bunched up in his hot
jacket, because he feared if he went bare his brothers would see the
thin strand of bright hair about his wrist, and mock at the Midden.
When the sun was at noon the Mulgars had finished the building of their
rafts. They lay merrily bobbing in a long string moored to an Ollaconda
on the swift-running water. They tied up bundles of nuts, and old
Nanoes, roots, and pepper-pods, and scores of torches, and bound these
down securely to the smallest of the rafts. Then, wearied out, with
sting-swollen chops and bleeding hands, they raised their
shadow-blankets, and having bound up their heads with cool leaves, all
lay down beside the embers of their last night's fire for the "glare."

There were now seventeen travellers, and they had built nine light
rafts--two Mulgars for every raft, except two; one of which two was wide
enough to float in comfort three of the lighter Moona-mulgars, who weigh
scarce more than Meermuts at the best of times; the other and least was
for their bundles and torches and all such stuff as they needed, over
and above what each Mulgar carried for himself.

In the full and stillness of afternoon they ate their last meal this
side of Arakkaboa, and beat out their fire. A sprinkle of hail fell,
hopping on their heads as they stood in the sunshine making ready to put
off. It seemed as if there would ne