ob," said Joe. "There are plenty of spiders out on
the pampas--great fellows that will come at you and bite horribly."

"I should like to see one," said Rob.

"Wait a bit, my lad, and you shall," said Shaddy.--"Humph! don't like
this place at all," he growled. "Look there!" he continued, pointing at
where three big trees lay close together, with their branches worn sharp
by the action of the water. "If there ain't 'gators under all them
sharp snags my name ain't Shadrach Naylor! Water's quite still, too,
there. I hope there ain't anything worse."

"Do you think we had better go on?" said Brazier.

"Nay, we'll risk it, sir. Let's wait till the fire burns up big and
strong. We'll have a roarer to-night, and that'll scare away most of
the trash. Worst of it is, I'm 'fraid it 'tracts the 'gators and fish."

CHAPTER ELEVEN.

AN EVENTFUL NIGHT.

"I do like a good fire, Joe," said Rob, as he gazed at the ruddy flames
rushing up.

"Why, you're not cold?"

"No, I'm hot, and this fire brings in a breeze and makes it cooler--on
one side. But what I like in a fire of this kind is that you can burn
as much wood as you like, and nobody can say it's waste, because it's
doing good--clearing the ground for the trees around to grow. I say,
look at the birds."

"After supper," said Joe, as he watched the actions of the principal
boatman, who was head cook, busily preparing the ducks and two
good-sized fish which they had caught by trailing a bait behind the boat
as they came.

"Yes, I'm hungry," said Rob. "What's that?"

"It was Shaddy."

"What! tumbled in?" said Rob excitedly.

"No; he took hold of a thick piece of branch and threw it into the
water. What did you do that for?"

"Scare them 'gators, my lad. There's a whole school of 'em out there,
and I think they mean coming to supper. And fish too," he added, as
there was another splash and then another.

By this time he was close alongside of the boat, under whose tent Mr
Brazier was busy by the light of a lanthorn making notes and lists of
the flowers and orchid bulbs which he had secured that day.

"Hadn't we better put out a line, Shaddy? If we caught a fish or two
the men would be glad of them in the morning."

"No, Mr Rob, sir; I don't suppose they'd bite now, and even if they
did, so sure as you hooked one a smiler would get hold of it, and you
don't want another fight of that sort. I'm beginning to think that we'd
best get our bit o' f