g himself from his
nest among the sepos, he lowered his floats into the water, and slipped
down after them. Wishing my uncle and Tim goodbye, though, as I
observed, it would only be for an hour or two, I followed Sambo's
example.

Just then Uncle Paul cried out to me,--"Stop! stop! I hear the Indians
coming, and we will all go together."

"We will go slowly ahead, then," I answered, "and wait for you."

Directly afterwards I heard Kallolo's voice crying out,--"Go on!--go on!
No time to wait! The savages are coming!" and looking back, I caught
sight of him through the gloom, springing along over the fallen logs and
roots by the side of the channel. The same instant, Uncle Paul and Tim
slipped into the water, and placed themselves on their floats, ready to
strike out.

"Where is Maco?" asked Uncle Paul.

"He coming, close behind," answered Kallolo, who had thrown himself into
the water. As he did so, Quacko, who had been forgotten, leaped off the
branch and sprang on to his shoulder; while Ara, though her wings were
clipped, managed to reach Tim's head.

Shouting to Maco, who was, we believed, close behind, to follow, we
struck out; but we had not gone many fathoms when we saw him, having
passed the branch on which we had been seated, trying to make his way
along a mass of logs and roots by the side of the channel, though
greatly impeded in his progress. He would, we saw, have to take to the
water without his floats, though, being a good swimmer, if the distance
he had to go was not great that would be of little consequence to him.
He was just about to spring into the channel, when a dozen dark-skinned
savages, armed with clubs and spears, appeared, some bursting through
the brushwood, others dropping down from the boughs above, through which
they had apparently made their way. Several of them seized poor Maco
before he could spring into the water; and I saw one of them lift a
heavy club as if about to dash out his brains. It would have been
hopeless to have attempted his rescue. Urged on by Kallolo, we rushed
forward up the bed of the stream, where, fortunately, the water being
shallow, we were able to wade at a pretty good rate. The Indians,
catching sight of us, sprang into the stream, uttering loud shrieks and
yells--in order, we supposed, to intimidate us.

On we went, now wading, now swimming where the water was too deep to
allow us to wade, and continuing to make good progress. Looking back,
we