ir way through the grass and low growth, but there was no
puma visible, and finally, taking it for granted that the animal was
gone, but making up his mind to try and find it again if they stayed, he
stepped out more quickly to catch up to Joe, who was pressing on toward
where he could now see both of their companions and a hundred yards
beyond the boatmen coming to meet them.

"Hi! What have you shot, Mr Brazier?" cried Rob as he drew nearer.

"Deer! Very fine one!" came back the reply.

"Venison for dinner, then, and not `only fish,'" said Rob as he changed
shoulders with his gun. "Shouldn't care to be always tied down to
fresh-water fish, Joe. They're not like turbot and soles."

"I say, don't talk about eating," said the young Italian testily.

"Why not?"

"Makes me so hungry."

"Well, so much the better. Proves that you enjoy your meals. I say, I
wish that great cat had followed us."

"Nonsense! What could you have done with it?"

"Kept it as a pet. Taught it to catch birds for us, and to fetch those
we shot like a dog. Oh, what a beauty!"

This was on seeing the fine large fat deer which had fallen to Brazier's
gun.

"Yes," said Brazier, with a satisfied smile; "it was a piece of good
fortune, and it will relieve me of some anxiety about provisions."

"But it will not keep," said Rob.

"Yes; cut in strips and dried in the sun, it will last as long as we
want it. You see, we have no means of making up waste in our stores,
Rob, and the more we get our guns to help us the longer our expedition
can be."

The boatmen and the two lads reached the deer just about the same time,
and the latter stood looking on with rather an air of disgust upon their
countenances as the crew set to work and deftly removed the animal's
skin, which was carried off to the boat to be stretched over the awning
to dry, while those left rapidly went to work cutting the flesh in
strips and bearing it off to the boat.

"I say, Mr Brazier," said Rob after watching the proceedings for some
time, "hadn't those strips of flesh better be dried on shore somewhere?"

"Why?"

"Because they'll smell dreadfully."

"I hope not," said Brazier, smiling.

"Not they, sir," put in Shaddy. "Sun soon coats 'em over and takes the
juice out of them. They won't trouble your nose, Master Rob, sir, trust
me; and as to drying 'em on shore, that would be a very good plan in
every way but one."

"What do you mean?"

"Why, that it wou