hanging from his toes from a high limb, looking like a
monkey; and the next he had let go, whirled over three times in the air,
and landed lightly on his feet on the soft ground; after which he would
make his little bow, just like the celebrated performer in the great and
only Barnum's Circus, after he has thrilled the audience with one of his
marvelous acts.

Bumpus sat and watched all these performances with open mouth. Secretly
the fat boy aspired to imitate Davy in some of his antics; though
Giraffe always scoffed loudly at the absurd idea of a heavy weight like
Bumpus trying to play the part of a nimble ape.

Several times had the ambition of Bumpus got the better of his judgment,
and he had endeavored to follow in the wake of the active member of the
party; but always with disastrous results; so that for some time now he
had taken it out in gaping, and wishing, and longing for the time to
come when he could get rid of his surplus fat, so that he might be
nimble like Davy.

Giraffe during breakfast was unusually silent and sober. Thad guessed
where his thoughts were straying, and consequently it did not surprise
him in the least to overhear the tall boy muttering to himself, while he
shook his head stubbornly:

"I c'n do it all right; I just _know_ I can!"

Step Hen amused himself watching a sharp-eyed little striped chipmunk
stealing some bits thrown aside from the camp meal. Time was when Step
Hen might have been guilty of trying to hit such a fair mark with a club
or a stone; but that was in the past. He would not have lifted a finger
now to injure that innocent little creature for worlds; but sat there,
deeply interested in observing every movement it made, just as if it
were a pet.

Jim seemed to be himself again; at least when Thad looked toward him
inquiringly, the guide nodded his head, and smiled. Evidently Jim had
slept over his trouble, and decided that he was doing the right thing.
For the sake of Little Lina he was ready to go right along, taking big
chances of losing his precious ears; for only too well did he know that
Old Cale was a man of his word; and that he must have meant everything
he said to the messenger who bore the threat to Jim.

Davy was wild to develop the film upon which he had taken that snapshot
picture on the preceding night; but there were a number of obstacles in
the way of doing that. First of all, there were five other exposures on
that roll, as yet untouched; and as a c