his protection
advisable; but he did it with half-closed eyes, and a sort of
semi-wakefulness which changed into profound repose the instant he
tumbled back into his hammock. Lawrence, not being so well accustomed
to the situation, lay awake a short time at first, having his loaded
pistols under his pillow; but, as we have said, he soon slumbered, and
it is probable that all the jaguars, pumas, peccaries, tapirs,
alligators, and wild cats in that district might have walked in
procession under his hammock without disturbing him in the least, had
they been so minded. As for Manuela, with that quiet indifference to
mere prospective danger that usually characterises her race, she laid
her head on her tiger-skin pillow, and slept the sleep of innocence--
having absolute faith, no doubt, in the vigilance and care of her
protectors.

It might have been observed, however, that before lying down the Indian
maiden knelt beside her hammock and hid her face in her hands. Indeed
from the first it had been seen by her fellow-travellers that Manuela
thus communed with her God, and on one occasion Lawrence, remarking on
the fact, had asked Pedro if she were a Christian.

"She is a Christian," was Pedro's reply, but as he manifested an evident
intention not to be communicative on the subject, Lawrence forbore to
put further questions, although he felt his interest in the girl as well
as his curiosity increasing, and he longed to know how and when she had
been turned from heathen worship to the knowledge of Christ.

When daylight began to glimmer in the east, the bird, beast, and insect
worlds began to stir. And a wonderful stir do these worlds make at that
hour in the grand regions of Central South America; for although
nocturnal birds and beasts retire and, at least partially, hide their
diminished heads at daylight, the myriad denizens of the forests bound
forth with renewed life and vigour to sing a morning hymn of praise to
their Maker--involuntarily or voluntarily, who can tell which, and what
right has man to say dogmatically that it cannot be the latter?
Thousands of cooing doves, legions of chattering parrots, made the air
vocal; millions of little birds of every size and hue twittered an
accompaniment, and myriads of mosquitoes and other insects filled up the
orchestra with a high pitched drone, while alligators and other aquatic
monsters beat time with flipper, fin, and tail.

Breakfast, consisting of excellent fish, e