the gunwale of the boat, a sound
which often suggested something coming on board.

Then he made sure what it was, and watched the faint glow thrown by the
fire on the canvas till it seemed to grow dull--seemed, for the boatmen
had arranged the wood so that from time to time it fell in, and hence it
kept on burning up more brightly. But it looked dull to Rob and then
black, for in spite of yells and screams and bellowings, the piping and
fluting of frogs, the fiddling of crickets, and the drumming of some
great toad, which apparently had a big tom-tom all to itself, Rob's eyes
had closed, and fatigue made him sleep as soundly as if he had been at
home.

The sun was up when he awoke with a start to find Joe having his wash in
a freshly dipped bucket of clean water, and upon joining him and looking
ashore, it was to see Brazier bringing his botanic treasures on board to
hang up against the awning to dry; while Shaddy had taken the skin of
the jaguar, pegs and all, rolling it up and throwing it forward. The
boatmen kept the kettle boiling and some cake-bread baking in the hot
ashes. At the same time a pleasant odour of frizzling bacon told that
breakfast would not be long.

"You are going to stay here for a day or two?" said Rob to Mr Brazier
as he rubbed his face dry in the warm sunshine.

"No. Naylor says we shall do better farther on, and keep on collecting
as we go, beside getting a supply of ducks or other fowl for our wants.
The farther we are from the big river the easier it will be to keep our
wants supplied."

"Gun, sir!" said Shaddy just then; "big ducks coming up the river. Take
it coolly, sir, and don't shoot till you can get two or three."

Brazier waited and waited, but the birds, which were feeding, came no
farther.

"Hadn't Mr Rob better try too, sir?" whispered Shaddy; "he wants to
learn to shoot."

Rob glanced at Brazier, who did not take his eyes from the ducks he was
watching, and the boy hurriedly fetched his gun.

"What yer got in?" whispered Shaddy.

"Shot in one barrel, bullet in the other."

"Bah!" growled the guide. "You don't want bullet now. Yes, you do," he
continued. "Look straight across the water in between the trees, and
tell me if you see anything."

"No. Whereabouts?"

"Just opposite us. Now look again close to the water's edge, where
there's that bit of an opening. Come, lad, where's your eyes?"

"I don't see anything but flowers and drooping boughs."

"And