hem and all our goods, and for some
reason or other Domingos has persuaded them to escape on it, hoping that
we should follow."

"Would not Ellen have left a note for us, or some sign, to show us where
they have gone to," observed John in a desponding tone. "That she has
not done so puzzles me more than anything else."

To satisfy John, we all shouted at the top of our voices again and
again; but no reply came. We were going to get into the canoe, when
Duppo showed us that we might prepare it with a little contrivance for
encountering the rougher water of the river. Some sipos were near.
These he cut down, and with Oria's assistance bound into two long
bundles, which he neatly secured to the gunwale of the canoe, completely
round her. By this means the sides were raised four or five inches, and
would thus, I saw, greatly assist to keep out the water, and at the same
time would enable her to float, even should she be partly filled. Duppo
now beckoned to us to get into her. We took our seats as before, and
once more we paddled down the igarape. Duppo's contrivance completely
kept out the water, which would otherwise have broken on board; and we
had no longer any fear of driving the canoe as fast as we could through
it. We soon reached the open river.

"Which way shall we turn--up or down the stream?" I asked.

"Down, certainly," said John; "the raft could not have gone up it."

We accordingly made signs to Duppo to turn the canoe's head towards the
east. Before us appeared the island on which we so narrowly escaped
being wrecked during the hurricane. We steered down near the mainland,
examining narrowly the shores on either side. No raft could we see, nor
any one on the land. The water was smooth in the channel through which
we were passing, but when we got to the end of it, we found the surface
rippled over with waves, which, although small, threatened to be
dangerous to our deeply-laden little craft. I proposed that we should,
notwithstanding, endeavour to paddle up along the other side of the
island, in case Ellen and her companions might have landed on it. We
made signs to Duppo to steer in that direction; but he, instead of doing
so, pointed to a spot some way down the river, signifying to as that he
wished to land there. We concluded that it was the place where his
father had appointed to meet him. "Perhaps he sees the raft; it may
have drifted there," exclaimed Arthur. "At all events, I am sur