every moment to have a rub;
while I, without going to his extreme, was doing the best I could to rid
myself of my pain.

"Nas' lil fing!" cried Pomp, stamping on something in the grass. "Look,
look, Mass' George, make hase; dey eat all de lunchum."

The mystery was out. We had seated ourselves upon the home of a vicious
kind of ant, whose nest was under the rotten bark of the tree, and as
soon as Pomp realised the truth he danced about with delight.

"I fought you 'tick pin in lil nigger. You fought I 'tick um knife in
Mass' George! You catch um, too."

"Yes," I said, wriggling under my clothes, and rubbing myself. "Oh!
Quick! Back of my neck, Pomp, look. Biting."

Pomp sprang to me in an instant.

"I got um, Mass' George. Dah!" he cried, as he placed the vicious
little insect between his teeth, and bit it in two. "You no bite young
massa 'gain. How you like be bite, sah? Make you feel dicklus, eh?
Oh! Ugh! Tiff! Tiff! Tiff! Oh, um do tase nasty."

Pomp spat and shuddered and ended by washing out his mouth by running a
little way, lying flat with his head over the bank, and scooping up some
water with his hand.

Meanwhile I cautiously picked up the provisions, the napkin and wallet,
and carefully shook them clear of the vicious little things--no easy
job, by the way; after which, stinging and smarting still, I sought
another place where we could eat our meal in peace.

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.

"No, no, Pomp," I said, after a time, during which we had been
thoroughly enjoying our food, "you've had quite enough. We shall want
to make this last till night."

"Mass' George no want to finish um all up?"

"No."

"So not hav' to carry walletum."

"Of course not. We shall soon be hungry again."

"Catch fis; shoot de duck; Pomp fine plenty 'tick; and make a fire."

"I wish you'd find the boat," I said, packing up the remains of the meal
the while. "Think it's any use to go any farther?"

"Yes; go right on, Mass' George; plenty time."

"Yes, we'll go on," I said, for I felt refreshed and rested, and as if I
should like to go journeying on for days--the beauty of the river and
the various things we saw exciting a desire to continue our trip. "I
don't suppose any one ever came here before, but we mustn't lose our
way."

"Couldn't lose way, Mass' George. Ony got to keep by ribber, and he
show de way back."

"Of course," I said; "I forgot that."

"No walk back."

"I hope not," I sa