another, with far-spreading branches and green
glossy leaves growing thickly upon them, which promised a better
protection from the dews of the night. They needed this, as they had
not yet thought of erecting any other roof. The only thing in the shape
of shelter they had set up was the tarpaulin, spread awning fashion over
four uprights, which held it at the four corners; but this was barely
sufficient to furnish the two young people with a sleeping-place.

After removing the roast fowl from the spit, they had not permitted
their fire to die out. On the contrary, Murtagh, in whose charge it
was, threw on some fresh faggots. They intended keeping it up through
the night, not to scare away wild beasts, for, as already said, they had
no fear of these; but because the atmosphere toward midnight usually
became damp and chilly, and they would need the fire to keep them warm.

It was quite sunset by the time they had finished eating the roast
hornbill, and as there is but little twilight under or near the equator,
the darkness came down almost instantaneously. By the light of the
blazing faggots they picked the bones of the bird, and picked them
clean. But they had scarce dropped the drumsticks and other bones out
of their fingers, when one and all fell violently sick.

A sensation of vertigo had been growing upon them, which, as soon as the
meal was over, became nausea, and shortly after ended in vomiting. It
was natural they should feel alarmed. Had only one been ill, they might
have ascribed the illness to some other cause; but now, when all five
were affected at the same time, and with symptoms exactly similar, they
could have no other belief than that it was owing to what they had
eaten, and that the flesh of the hornbill had caused their sickness--
perhaps poisoned them.

Could this be? Was it possible for the flesh of a bird to be poisonous?
Was that of a hornbill so? These questions were quickly asked of one
another, but more especially addressed to Saloo. The Malay did not
believe it was. He had eaten hornbills before, and more than once; had
seen others eat them; but had never known or heard of the dish being
followed by symptoms similar to those now affecting and afflicting them.

The bird itself might have eaten something of a poisonous nature, which,
although it had not troubled its own stomach, acted as an emetic upon
theirs. There was some probability in this conjecture; at all events
the suffe