enty of shoals swimming about the tree, as they
could see from the movement of the muddy water; but so sure as a fish
took the bait there was a short struggle, and either the line broke or
the apology for a hook gave way, till first one and then the other gave
up in sheer despair, and sat looking disconsolate, till Shaddy's
countenance expanded into a broad grin.

"I don't see anything to laugh at," said Rob. "Here we have only a few
scraps to save for to-morrow, and you treat it all as if it were a
matter of no consequence."

"Warn't laughing at that, Mr Rob. I was only thinking of the fox and
the grapes, for I had just said to myself the fish ain't worth ketching,
just as the fox said the grapes were sour."

"But unless the waters go down ours is a very serious position," said
Brazier.

"Very, sir. And as to that bit of food, strikes me that it will be good
for nothing soon; so I say let's wait till last thing to-night, and then
finish it."

"And what about to-morrow?" said Rob gloomily.

"Let to-morrow take care of itself, sir. Plenty of things may happen
to-morrow. May be quite dry. If not, we must kill the puma and eat
it."

"What!" cried Rob in horror.

"Better than killing one of ourselves, sir," said the man grimly. "We
must have something to eat, and we can't live on wood and water."

The result was that they finished the last scrap of food after Shaddy
had spent the evening vainly looking out for the carcass of some drowned
animal. Then night came once more, and all lay down to sleep, but only
to have a disturbed night through the uneasy wanderings of the hungry
puma, which kept climbing from branch to branch uttering a low,
muttering cry. Sometimes it curled up beside Rob and seemed to sleep,
but it soon rose again and crawled down the most pendent branch till it
could thrust its muzzle close to the surface of the water and quench its
thirst.

"We shall have to shove it off to swim ashore," said Shaddy the next
morning.

"Why?" cried Rob. "The fish and alligators would attack it."

"Can't help it, sir," replied the old sailor. "Better eat him than he
should eat us."

"Why, you don't think--" began Rob.

"Yes, I do, sir. Wild beasts of his kind eat enough at one meal to last
'em a long time; but when they get hungry they grow very savage, and he
may turn upon us at any time now."

Rob looked at the puma anxiously, and approached it later on in the day,
to find the animal more g