ida, who have visited this
section of the country in search of bird skins, which find a ready sale
among your people. They have a canoe, and report that a dozen miles
below here the stream widens until it can be navigated by reasonably
large crafts."

"Since we haven't so much as the smallest kind of a boat I can't see how
that information will be of any use to us," Neal replied laughingly.

"It won't take long for me to explain. I propose to hire them to carry
us to the sea-shore, and thus save just so much labor of traveling on
foot."

"Is their canoe large enough?"

"It will carry a dozen."

"Then our troubles are indeed over," Teddy cried joyously; but Cummings
dampened his ardor somewhat when he added:

"There will then remain the journey around the coast, and with such a
load it would not be safe to put to sea in their craft. But let us enjoy
the blessings which come to us," he added, on observing how quickly his
companions' countenances fell. "Half a loaf is decidedly better than no
bread at all, and when a tramp of six days can be set aside we have good
cause to feel pleased."

The strangers had not waited to be welcomed by the other members of the
party. Without stopping to be invited they began preparations for
cooking on rather an extensive scale, using the contents of their well
filled game bags, and the savory odor which soon arose brought Jake to a
full realization of the good fortune that had come to them.

"With those fellows to hunt the game it will be a regular feast from
here to the coast," he said approvingly, "and I think this is the first
piece of good luck we've had since leaving the Sea Dream."

The newcomers could not speak the English language, consequently all the
conversation on the part of the fugitives was carried on by Cummings and
Poyor; but these two interpreted such portions as they thought might be
of interest to the boys.

From the middle of what is known as the "dry season" until the period of
almost incessant rains is well advanced, these hunters spend their time
on one or another of the streams leading from the coast, and they
consider themselves well paid when a year's work nets each an hundred
dollars.

"That is really a large amount of money to them," Cummings explained
when Neal suggested that hunting was not a very profitable employment.
"One quarter of the sum will serve to purchase the absolute necessities
of life in a country where fruit can be had for the lab