few minutes he
had a "nibble," and drew up and landed a very large fish, full three
feet in length. Lucien at once pronounced it a sturgeon, but of a
species he had not before seen. It was the _Acipenser carbonarius_, a
curious sort of fish found in these waters. It did not look like a fish
that would be pleasant eating; therefore Francois again took to bobbing
for the silver fish which, though small, he knew to be excellent when
broiled.

"Come," said Basil, "I must furnish my quota to this famous dinner that
is to be. Let me see what there is on the island in the way of game;"
and shouldering his rifle, he walked off among the trees.

"And I," said Norman, "am not going to eat the produce of other people's
labour without contributing my share."

So the young trader took up his gun and went off in a different
direction.

"Good!" exclaimed Lucien, "we are likely to have plenty of meat for the
dinner. I must see about the vegetables;" and taking with him his
new-made vessel, Lucien sauntered off along the shore of the islet.
Francois alone remained by the camp and continued his fishing. Let us
follow the plant-hunter, and learn a lesson of practical botany.

Lucien had not gone far, when he came to what appeared to be a mere
sedge growing in the water. The stalks or culms of this sedge were full
eight feet high, with smooth leaves, an inch broad, nearly a yard in
length, and of a light green colour. At the top of each stalk was a
large panicle of seeds, somewhat resembling a head of oats. The plant
itself was the famous wild rice so much prized by the Indians as an
article of food, and also the favourite of many wild birds especially
the reed-bird or rice-bunting. The grain of the zizania was not yet
ripe, but the ears were tolerably well filled, and Lucien saw that it
would do for his purpose. He therefore waded in, and stripped off into
his vessel as much as he wanted.

"I am safe for rice-soup, at all events," soliloquised he, "but I think
I can do still better;" and he continued on around the shore, and
shortly after struck into some heavy timber that grew in a damp, rich
soil. He had walked about an hundred yards farther, when he was seen to
stoop and examine some object on the ground.

"It ought to be found here," he muttered to himself; "this is the very
soil for it--yes, here we have it!"

The object over which he was stooping was a plant, but its leaves
appeared shrivelled, or rather quite withered aw