ard a vessel. If not, Uncle Paul proposed that we should steer for
Tobago, which we might expect to reach in a couple of days. Our chief
difficulty was to obtain a boat; and Uncle Paul and Arthur agreed to set
out to the south in search of one. Dressed in duck trousers, and with
broad-brimmed hats on their heads, they would probably be taken for
English sailors, and would not be interfered with. They hoped to hire a
boat without difficulty; if not, they intended to run off with one, and
to send back more than her value to the owner. Under the circumstances,
they considered that they would be justified in so doing; though I am
very sure that we must never do what is wrong for the sake of gaining an
advantage of any sort.

I may be excused, however, from discussing here the morality of their
intended act. The world certainly would not have blamed them; but, as I
now write in my old age, I have learned that there is a rule far above
the world's laws, and that says, "Do no wrong, or be guilty of any
appearance of wrong, however important may seem the object to be
gained." But this is a digression.

Camo and the two other natives agreed to accompany our uncle and Arthur.
The latter took his gun with him, but I retained mine.

They had been gone for some hours, when Tim and I agreed to go out into
the woods and kill some birds for supper, whilst our father--who had not
yet recovered from the fatigue of his journey, and was, besides, sorely
distressed at the thought of all his hopes being destroyed--remained in
the retreat with Marian. Jose undertook to stop and prepare the meat,
which was to be packed up tightly in small bundles, and covered over
with leaves.

Tim and I took our way westward. I scarcely know what made us go in
that direction; for before we left the camp we had intended to proceed
to the river, and had said so in Jose's hearing. We had gone some
distance, however, when we caught sight of a small deer known as the
"mangrove stag." The creature did not perceive us, and we followed it
for a considerable distance before I could get a favourable shot. At
length, when we were little more than fifty yards off, I fired, and,
greatly to my satisfaction, brought it to the ground. Tim having
quickly despatched it, next skinned and cut it up; then loading
ourselves with as much of the flesh as we could carry, we set off to
return to the camp.

We had made some progress on our way home, though with our lo