entle than ever; though it snarled and ruffled
up the hair of its back and neck whenever there was the slightest
advance made by either of the others.

That day passed slowly by--hot, dreamy, and with the water keeping
exactly to the same depth, so that they were hopelessly prisoned still
on their tree. They tried again to capture a fish, but in vain; and
once more the night fell, with the sounds made by bird, insect, and
reptile more weird and strange to them than ever.

Rob dropped asleep from time to time, to dream of rich banquets and
delicious fruits, but woke to hear the croaking and whistling of the
different creatures of the forest, and sit up on the pile of boughs
listening to the splash of the various creatures in the water, till day
broke, to find them all gaunt, wild-eyed, and despairing.

"We must try and wade to shore, and chance the creatures in the water,"
said Brazier hoarsely, for, on account of his weakness, he seemed to
suffer more than the others. "Where's shore, sir?" said Shaddy gruffly.
"Well, the nearest point, then."

"There ain't no nearest point, sir," said the man. "Even if we could
escape the things swarming in the muddy water, we could not wade through
the forest. It's bad enough when it's hard; now it's all water no man
could get through the trees. Besides, the land may be a hundred miles
away."

"What can we do, then?" cried Rob in desperation. "Only one thing, sir:
wait till the water goes down."

"But we may be dead before then--dead of this terrible torture of
hunger."

"Please God not, sir," said the old sailor piously: and they sat or lay
now in their terrible and yet beautiful prison.

From time to time Shaddy reached out from a convenient branch, and
dipped one of Rob's vessels full of the thick water, and when it had
been allowed to settle they quenched their burning thirst; but the pangs
of hunger only increased and a deadly weakness began to attack their
limbs, making the least movement painful.

For the most part those hours of their imprisonment grew dreamy and
strange to Rob, who slept a good deal; but he was roused up by one
incident. The puma had grown more and more uneasy, walking about the
tree wherever it could get the boughs to bear it, till all at once,
after lying as if asleep, it suddenly rose up, leaped from bough to
bough, till it was by the forest, where they saw it gather itself up and
spring away, evidently trying to reach the extreme boughs o