uld be eaten with satisfaction, unless cooked,
were the eggs which Arthur had brought, and these he and Uncle Paul
insisted should be given to Marian. It required some persuasion to
induce her to take them, as she was unwilling to deprive us of them; and
it was only by assuring her that when our appetites were a little
sharper we should eat the frogs and lizards with satisfaction, that we
could induce her to consume the eggs.

We now discussed the possibility of making a fire to cook our
provisions. There was room enough in the fork of a large branch; but
the danger was that we might set the whole tree alight, and burn it and
ourselves. Still, we did not as yet feel inclined to eat the frogs and
lizards, or even the birds, raw, though we knew that we might in the end
be compelled to do so.

At length we heard Kallolo's voice above us; and looking up, we saw him
descending the tree. "Here, friends. See!" he exclaimed, "I have not
made my trip up to the sky for nothing;" and he produced from a
grass-formed pocket, which he always carried by his side, a supply of
ripe figs. He parted them among us, offering Marian the largest share.

How delicious those figs tasted! They were both meat and drink to us;
and we felt that while a bountiful Providence supplied us with such
food, we need have no fear of starving.

I showed Kallolo the birds which I had caught. He called them bocloras,
and observed that they were pretty good food, and he hoped that we might
catch some others which would come to feed on the ripe figs.

CHAPTER SIX.

WE LIGHT A FIRE--A MORNING SCENE--DESCRIPTION OF "GROVE ISLAND"--
ATTACKED BY MACAWS--THE SLOTH--KALLOLO TAMES A PARROT.

We had no fear of starving, even though we might not be able to quit our
present abode for many days to come, but we were surrounded by dangers
to which we could not shut our eyes. The trees, vast as they were,
might be uprooted and hurled prostrate into the flood, should another
storm come on; or the lightning might strike them, and every one of us
be destroyed. Besides, many weeks might pass before we could descend
and travel over the dry ground; and even then, in what direction should
we go? Very probably we should fall into the hands of savages, who
would keep us in slavery; at all events, we should have to encounter
several wild beasts and venomous serpents,--the mighty boa, or anaconda,
or the still more terrible bush-master, or labarri, so dreaded in th