nawares; and as for falling asleep in their night
journeys, "Nobody," the negroes said, "ever slept on the Magdalena; the
mosquitoes took too good care of that." Which fact Amyas and his crew
verified afterwards as thoroughly as wretched men could do.

The sun had sunk; the night had all but fallen; the men were all on
board; Amyas in command of one canoe, Cary of the other. The Indians
were grouped on the bank, watching the party with their listless
stare, and with them the young guide, who preferred remaining among the
Indians, and was made supremely happy by the present of Spanish sword
and an English axe; while, in the midst, the old hermit, with tears in
his eyes, prayed God's blessing on them.

"I owe to you, noble cavaliers, new peace, new labor, I may say, new
life. May God be with you, and teach you to use your gold and your
swords better than I used mine."

The adventurers waved their hands to him.

"Give way, men," cried Amyas; and as he spoke the paddles dashed into
the water, to a right English hurrah! which sent the birds fluttering
from their roosts, and was answered by the yell of a hundred monkeys,
and the distant roar of the jaguar.

About twenty yards below, a wooded rock, some ten feet high, hung over
the stream. The river was not there more than fifteen yards broad; deep
near the rock, shallow on the farther side; and Amyas's canoe led the
way, within ten feet of the stone.

As he passed, a dark figure leapt from the bushes on the edge, and
plunged heavily into the water close to the boat. All started. A jaguar?
No; he would not have missed so short a spring. What, then? A human
being?

A head rose panting to the surface, and with a few strong strokes the
swimmer had clutched the gunwale. It was Ayacanora!

"Go back!" shouted Amyas. "Go back, girl!"

She uttered the same wild cry with which she had fled into the forest.

"I will die, then!" and she threw up her arms. Another moment, and she
had sunk.

To see her perish before his eyes! who could bear that? Her hands
alone were above the surface. Amyas caught convulsively at her in the
darkness, and seized her wrist.

A yell rose from the negroes: a roar from the crew as from a cage of
lions. There was a rush and a swirl along the surface of the stream; and
"Caiman! caiman!" shouted twenty voices.

Now, or never, for the strong arm! "To larboard, men, or over we go!"
cried Amyas, and with one huge heave he lifted the slender body upon