ll, from the storms we had had
of late, I suspected that the rainy season was about to begin. I could
only hope, therefore, that we might reach the shore before the waters
descended with their full force. Slowly we floated down with the
current. On either side of us were several masses of trees, and single
trees, such as I have before described. The rate at which we moved
differed considerably from many of them. Now we drifted towards one;
now we seemed to be carried away again from it. This, I concluded, was
owing partly to the different sizes of the floating masses, and to the
depth they were sunk in the water; and partly to the irregularity of the
current. The wind also affected them, those highest out of the water of
course feeling it most.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

VOYAGE DOWN THE AMAZON ON A TREE.

All day and another night we drifted on. The flesh of the boa was
consumed. Unless a strong breeze should get up which might drive us on
shore, we must go on for many days without being able to obtain food. I
again became anxious on that point, and was sorry we had not saved more
of the boa's flesh, unpalatable as I had found it. Again the sun rose
and found us floating on in the middle of the stream. Duppo, although
his countenance did not show much animation, was keeping, I saw, a
look-out on the water, to get hold of anything that might drift near us.
Presently I observed the small trunk of a rough-looking tree come
floating down directly towards us. As it floated on the surface, being
apparently very light, it came at a more rapid rate than we were moving.
At length it almost touched the trunk, and Duppo, signing to me to come
to his assistance, scrambled down towards it. He seized it eagerly, and
dragged it up by means of a quantity of rough fibre which hung round it.
He then asked me to help him in tearing off the fibre. This I did, and
after we had procured a quantity of it, he let the trunk go. When I
inquired what he was going to do with it, he made signs that he intended
to manufacture some fishing-lines.

"But where are the hooks? and where the bait?" I asked, doubling up my
finger to show what I meant.

"By-and-by make," he answered; and immediately on regaining our usual
seat, he set to work splitting the fibre and twisting it with great
neatness.

I watched him, feeling, however, that I could be of little assistance.
He seemed to work so confidently that I hoped he would manage to
man