f and my friends there have come to spend a few weeks in your
country, or maybe longer; and we hope by-and-by to have the pleasure of
your better acquaintance."

The tone of Paddy's voice, as well as his gestures, seemed to give
confidence to the savage, and to assure him that we had no hostile
intentions. But after Doyle and he had thus stood looking at each other
for some minutes, he began slowly to retreat, always keeping his face
towards us, till he had rejoined the woman and boy, when he sat down and
held a conversation with them. They then all three rose and made their
way up the bank of the river, till they were hidden from sight behind a
rock.

I was, however, but a short time on shore, for as soon as the boats were
unloaded we pulled away to the brig. By the time we got back to her the
raft was nearly completed. As, however, the tide was running out of the
river, my father, following Mudge's advice, determined not to send it on
shore, but to secure it alongside for the night. The boats were
therefore again loaded; and as long as daylight lasted they were kept
plying backwards and forwards.

With great unwillingness my father consented to come on shore with the
rest of the crew in the last trip. "I should have no fears about
remaining," he observed, "as I feel confident that the brig will hold
together, even though we may not succeed in getting her off."

We had landed provisions sufficient to last us, with economy, for
several months; all our arms and ammunition, most of our own clothing
and that of the ship's company, as well as our bedding and a few
articles of furniture for my mother's use; our cooking utensils and the
cabin dinner and tea service; the carpenter's tool-chest; several spades
and pick-axes, and other agricultural implements; and some bales of new
canvas, as well as several of the ship's sails and a number of
miscellaneous articles. Altogether, we had reason to be satisfied that
we had saved so much. Several tents had been put up before dark to
accommodate all the party. The most complete was that for the use of my
mother and Edith; the others were formed simply by stretching a rope,
over which a sail was thrown, between two trees, the edges of the sail
being secured by pegs to the ground on either side.

As soon as my father landed he summoned several of the men, and ordered
them to cut down all the grass which grew on the isthmus, as well as
that surrounding our tents.

"I tak