er dismounting would, we believed, prevent any traces which even the
keen eyes of Indians could discover, and we were careful not to break
any branches or twigs as we passed along. When on the seashore, we kept
either in the water or on the hard sand, which the tide, as it rose,
would soon cover. But as we thus proceeded along the shore, or climbed
over the rocks, where we could obtain no shelter from the sun's rays, we
found the heat at times almost overpowering.

To relieve Marian, Uncle Paul and Arthur joined their hands and insisted
on carrying her between them. She soon begged to be put down, however,
as she saw that the task much increased their fatigue.

Having reached the north-eastern end of the island, the rocky range of
mountains which extends along the northern shore terminated, and we
entered a region covered with a dense and tangled forest. Uncle Paul
and Tim had brought their guns and some ammunition with them, that we
might kill game when the small stock of provisions we had been able to
carry was exhausted. The larger portion of these provisions, with some
cooking utensils, had been placed on the backs of the horses, and our
native guides had promised to bring it on to us as soon as they had left
the steeds in a place of safety. We were, however, likely to be
somewhat badly off in the meantime; and as a considerable period might
elapse before we could get on board a vessel, we should probably have to
depend on our own exertions for obtaining a fresh supply. The two
vessels we had seen when we were on the side of the mountain had tacked
and stood away from the island, so that we had to abandon the
expectation of getting on board either of them.

I could not help expressing my doubts about the fidelity of the Indians;
but Uncle Paul, who knew them better than I did, was convinced that they
were honest, and would follow us as soon as they had secured the horses
in a place of safety.

We were now travelling southward along the coast, and at some little
distance from the shore. We had the mountains rising above us on the
right, while the lower ground was covered with a dense vegetation,
through which it was often difficult to force our way. At length we
reached a small river, the most northern of several which ran into the
ocean on the eastern side of the island. Our guides had told us that we
should find a secure place of concealment on the banks of another stream
about a couple of miles beyond