re described. The
calm continued; not a breath of air stirred the mud-tinted expanse of
water stretching out to the northward. Up to this time the flood had
not in the slightest degree decreased; indeed, the mark Uncle Paul had
made on the first day showed that it had rather increased an inch or
two. At all events, there was no present prospect, as far as we could
see, of our getting away from our present abode. Arthur proposed that
we should form a raft. This would not have been difficult, as we had
several large knives among us, and with some labour we might have cut
off branches from the trees and bound them together with sepos. But
then the question arose, In what direction should we go, even supposing
that we could form a raft to hold the whole party? We might have to
paddle, for aught we knew to the contrary, for days and days together
before we could reach dry land; and when there, were we likely to be
better off than where we were at present? Taking all things into
consideration, Uncle Paul decided, when his advice was asked, that it
would be better to let well alone, and to remain in the grove. Vessels
went occasionally up and down the river, and when the water subsided we
might be seen by one of them, and be taken off. We should thus,
however, run the risk of again falling into the hands of the Spaniards,
and Uncle Paul especially was very unwilling to trust to their tender
mercies.

"My opinion is that we should remain here till we are compelled to move,
and then make our way up one of the many streams to the south, which
rise in the Dutch territories, where we are sure to meet with a friendly
reception," he observed. Arthur agreed with him, and the rest of the
party were willing to be guided by their decision.

It was proposed, as there was a probability of our spending some weeks
in our present abode, that we should endeavour to render it more
habitable than at present. Kallolo described to us how a tribe of
natives in the neighbourhood make platforms, resting on the trunks of
the palm-trees, where they and their families live in comparative
comfort during the whole period of the inundation. The idea, being
started, was highly approved of, and we all immediately set to work to
get long poles for the purpose. A spot was selected, higher up the
tree, where a number of branches ran out horizontally, almost level with
each other. As soon as a pole was cut it was secured with sepos, Uncle
Paul a