s so," said Muggins curtly.

"I'm a'feard on it," observed Old Peter with a sigh.

"Faix, I wouldn't mind spindin' the night," said Larry, "av it worn't
that we've got no grub. It would be some comfort to know the name o'
the country we're lost in."

"I can tell you that, Larry," said Will Osten; "we are in Peru; though
what part of it I confess I do not know."

"Peroo, is it? Well, that's a comfort--anyhow."

"I don't 'xacly see where the comfort o' that lies," said Muggins.

"That's cause yer intellects is obtoose, boy!" retorted Larry; "don't ye
know that it's a blissin' to know where ye are, wotiver else ye don't
know? Supposin', now, a stranger shud ax me, `Where are ye, Paddy?'--ov
course I cud say at wance, `In Peroo, yer honour;' an' if he shud go for
to penetrate deeper into my knowledge o' geography, sure I cud tell him
that Peroo is in South Ameriky, wan o' the five quarters o' the globe,
d'ye see?"

"But suppose, for the sake of argyment as Shikspur says, that the
stranger wos to ax ye wot ye know'd about Peroo, what 'ud ye say to
that, lad?" asked Old Peter.

"Wot would I say! Why, I'd ax him with a look of offended dignity if he
took me for a schoolmaster, an' then may be I'd ax him wot he know'd
about it himself--an' krekt him av he wos wrong."

"I can tell you this much about it, at all events," said Will, with a
laugh, "that it is a Republic, and a celebrated country for gold mines."

"And I can add to yer information," said Old Peter, "that there's an
oncommon lot o' tigers an' other wild beasts in it, and that if we would
avoid bein' eat up alive we must kindle a fire an' go to sleep in a
tree. By good luck I've got my flint and steel with me."

"By equal good luck I have two biscuits in my pocket," said Will; "come,
before we do anything else, let us inquire into our resources."

Each man at once turned his pockets inside out with the following
result:--

Our hero, besides two large coarse sea-biscuits, produced one of those
useful knives which contain innumerable blades, with pickers, tweezers,
corkscrews, and other indescribable implements; also a note-book, a
pencil, a small pocket-case of surgical instruments (without which he
never moved during his wanderings), and a Testament--the one that had
been given to him on his last birthday by his mother. Old Peter
contributed to the general fund his flint, steel, and tinder--most
essential and fortunate contributions--and a huge cl