reinforced on their ends with the thickest hide we could
find, that they might not puncture the bottom. After that it was
fairly firm; though its sea-worthiness was not improved, it was much
easier to navigate than it would have been before.

For oars we took the lower ends of the backbones of the two smaller
fish and covered them with hide. They were about five feet long and
quite heavy; but we intended to use them more for the purpose of
steering than for propulsion. The current of the stream would attend
to that for us.

Near the center of the raft we arranged a pile of the skins of the
water-pigs for Desiree; a seat by no means uncomfortable. The strips
which ran back and forth across the top afforded a hold as security
against the tossing of the craft; but for her feet we arranged two
other strips to pass over her ankles what time she rested. This was an
extreme precaution, for we did not expect the journey to be a long one.

Finally we loaded on our provisions--about thirty pounds of the meat of
the fish and water-pigs, wrapping it securely in two or three of the
skins and strapping them firmly to the top.

"And now," said I, testing the strips on the corners for the last time,
"all we need is a name for her and a bottle of wine."

"And a homeward-bound pennant," put in Harry.

"The name is easy enough," said Desiree. "I hereby christen her Clarte
du Soleil."

"Which means?" asked Harry, whose French came only in spots.

"Sunshine," I told him. "Presumably after the glorious King of the
Incas, who calls himself the Child of the Sun. But it's a good name.
May Heaven grant that it takes us there!"

"I think we ought to take more grub," said Harry--an observation which
he had made not less than fifty times in the preceding fifty minutes.
He received no support and grumbled to himself something about the
horrible waste of leaving so much behind.

Why it was I don't know, but we were fully persuaded that we were about
to say good-by forever to this underground world and its dangers.
Somehow, we had coaxed ourselves into the belief that success was
certain; it was as though we had seen the sunlight streaming in from
the farther end of the arched tunnel into which the stream disappeared.
There was an assurance about the words of each that strengthened this
feeling in the others, and hope had shut out all thought of failure as
we prepared to launch our craft.

It took us some time to get it to the ed