an old tree, some five feet
in height, serving for the purpose. The men were delighted with the
accuracy of their pieces and the rapidity at which they could be
fired. Mr. Goodenough impressed upon them that unless attacked at close
quarters, and specially ordered to fire fast, they must aim just as
slowly and deliberately as if using their old guns, for that in so
long a journey ammunition would be precious, and must, therefore, on no
account whatever, be wasted. In the boxes were six thousand rounds of
ammunition, a thousand for each gun, besides the ammunition for the
rifles and fowling pieces of Mr. Goodenough and Frank.

In order to render the appearance of his followers as imposing as
possible, Mr. Goodenough furnished each of the Houssas with a pair of
trousers made of New Zealand flax, reaching to their knees. These he had
brought from England with him. They were all found to be too large, but
the men soon set to work with rough needles and thread and took them in.
In addition to these, each man was furnished with a red sash, which went
several times round the waist, and served to keep the trousers up and to
give a gay aspect to the dress. The Houssas were much pleased with their
appearance. All of them carried swords in addition to the guns, as in
their own country they are accustomed to fight with these weapons.

They started early in the morning, and after four hours' paddling passed
Konig Island, an abandoned Dutch settlement. Here they stopped for an
hour or two, and then the sea breeze sprang up, a sail was hoisted, and
late at night they passed a French guardship placed to mark the boundary
of that settlement at a point where a large tributary called the Boqui
runs into it. Here is a little island called Nenge Nenge, formerly a
missionary station, where the natives are still Christians. At this
place the canoe was hauled ashore. The Houssas had already been
instructed in the method of pitching the tent, and in a very few minutes
this was erected. It was a double poled tent, some ten feet square,
and there was a waterproof sheet large enough to cover the whole of the
interior, thus preventing the miasma from arising from the ground within
it. The beds were soon opened and fixed, two of the large cases formed
a table and two smaller ones did service as chairs. A lamp was lit, and
Frank was charmed with the comfort and snugness of the abode.

The men's weapons were fastened round one of the poles to keep th