while you
lads fish."

Rob felt as if he would far rather try his luck with a gun, for he
wanted to practise shooting; and Shaddy read the disappointment in his
face.

"It'll be all right, my lad," he said, as Brazier went to the boat to
get some different cartridges; "you'll have plenty of chances of
shooting for the pot by-and-by. Why, you haven't done so very bad
to-day--bagging a whole tiger. Here, I'll help you rig up a line."

"And suppose I hook one of those alligators?"

"Hardly likely, my lad; but if you do it will be bad for the 'gator or
bad for your line. One'll have to come, or the other'll have to go."

Just then Brazier returned from the boat with the cartridge-pouch and
examining the breech of his gun, after which he walked slowly to the
corner of the green opening and took his place close to the edge of the
river, where he was partly hidden by some pendent boughs, while Rob,
Joe, and Shaddy got on board the boat again, and were soon fitting up a
line with an orange bait.

"May as well fish from the boat, my lads," said Shaddy; "it's peaceabler
and comfortabler. What do you say?"

"No," said Joe, "but one from the boat, and one from the other corner
there. If we fish together we shall get our lines tangled."

"Right, my Hightalian man o' wisdom," said Shaddy. "There you are,
then," he continued, as he fixed the half of an orange as securely as he
could; "you begin there, and Mr Rob will try up yonder, while I'll go
to and fro with the gaff hook ready to help whichever of you wants a
hand."

"Hi! you chaps," he shouted to the men in their own tongue, as they were
settling themselves down for a long sleep, "make that fire up again;
we're going to stop here to-night."

"I wish I could speak their language, Shaddy," said Rob, as the men
deliberately began to pile some of the wood they had collected on the
embers.

"You'll soon pick it up, my lad. It's soft and easy enough. Not as I
speak it, you know, because I'm so rough and keep chopping in broken
English. They're not bad fellows. But now look here," he continued, as
they reached their corner where the stream flowed very deep and made
quite an eddy; "it strikes me that the best thing we can do is to try a
different bait, one as will tempt the fish that don't care so much for
flesh. What do you say to a quarter of a biscuit?"

"Too hard, and will not stick on."

"Get soft in the water; and it will stick on, for I shall tie it wi