erve as a hammer--with which to repair her. The crew took the matter
very coolly, only observing that they wished they had some grog and
grub.

"I will try what I can do for you in the way of getting provisions,"
said my uncle, "and I hope to be able to shoot some birds, or an animal
of some sort; but in the meantime we must endeavour to repair the boat.
We can draw some nails from the seats, where they are of less
consequence; and we must cut some canvas out of the sail, if we can find
no plank to fasten over the hole."

Encouraged by my uncle, the men set to work to draw some nails out of
the stern-sheets with their knives; and we then managed to turn the boat
over. The canvas alone, it was evident, would not keep the water out of
the boat, even though backed by a piece of one of the bottom boards
which was broken off. My uncle, however, after examining the trees in
the neighbourhood, found a large one with a smooth bark; in this he made
a hole with one of the men's knives, and immediately a thick white
liquid issued from it. Sending for the piece of canvas, he allowed the
liquid to flow over it till it had formed a thick, hard cake.

"Now, my lads," he said, "stick that plaster over the hole, and nail the
board tightly over it. I will answer for it that no water gets through,
whatever it may do round the edges."

The plan succeeded; but still, only the most foolhardy would have
attempted to recross the bar in so unseaworthy a boat; indeed, with our
baggage on board, it was very doubtful whether we could accomplish the
rest of our voyage in her.

We had been so busily engaged in endeavouring to repair our boat, that
night came suddenly down on us before we were aware of its approach, and
we had no time to make preparations for encamping. Fortunately,
however, we had a tinder-box and matches; but it was difficult to
collect fuel in the dark, and we were afraid, when groping about, that
we might put our hands on a venomous snake, as we knew that such
creatures usually abound in the forests on level ground near the water.
I could not help recollecting the tales I had heard in my childhood from
my good nurse Josefa; and I thought it more than probable that a jaguar
or puma might attack us while asleep, or an alligator come out of the
stream and make his supper off one of us, or that an anaconda might come
crawling by and swallow the whole party at a gulp. Still, it was
important that we should have a fire; and