ne of your
people."

This made Timbo very indignant.

"Dis beast no man," he exclaimed; "no mind, no soul. Why not eat him?
Chickango say he bery good food."

It was finally agreed that Chickango should cook it outside the Castle,
if he wished it, and that he and Timbo should be welcome to feast off
it. Senhor Silva and David's curiosity prompted them to taste some of
the animal, which they declared to be very delicate, and not unlike
venison. They, however, were very unwilling that Kate and Bella should
hear of it.

"You know we eat small monkeys without scruple, and I cannot therefore
see why we should not eat the flesh of a big one; in reality, I suspect
it is the best of the two," observed the young doctor.

Our amusement for some time every evening was endeavouring to civilise
our young prisoner, the little nshiego. Leo at once called him Chico,
because Chickango had caught him, and _chico_ in Spanish means "little."

The mother's skin had been drying on some trees outside the Castle. No
sooner was it brought in than the creature recognised it, and, running
towards it, placed its hands on the head, and finding that it did not
move, broke out into a plaintive cry which sounded like "Ooye! ooye!
ooye!" and then it looked up in our faces as if seeking for
commiseration. At length it ran up to the doctor, and appeared to
appeal to him to restore its mother. Jack, who stood by, watched it
with an eye of pity. The little creature seemed to understand his
feelings; and at length the sailor took it in his arms and caressed it,
while Timbo carried off the skin and hid it in his hut. Chico after
this always seemed to consider Jack his particular friend. In a few
days it became perfectly tame, and showed no inclination to run away. I
shall have more to say about Chico by-and-by.

The canoe was progressing. The boys had cut their spars in a very
creditable way, and now commenced chopping out boards of sufficient
width for the paddles. They had, however, ample time for exploring the
neighbourhood. The morning after the capture of Chico they had gone out
at an early hour, when, just as we were beginning breakfast, we heard
their shouts proceeding from the higher ground up the stream. We ran
out, thinking something was the matter.

"We have seen two huge baboons," exclaimed Leo. "If we had had a gun,
we should have killed one of them, at all events."

David and I accompanied the boys along the banks of