her against a mass of floating logs
which had caught firmly in a thicket and were so covered with grass and
broken twigs as to have very much the appearance of a real island. Here
they landed, so to speak, kindled a small fire, made some coffee,
roasted a few fish, baked several cakes, and were soon as happy and
comfortable as hungry and wearied men usually are when they obtain rest
and food.

"This is what I call jolly," remarked Barney.

"What's jolly?" inquired Martin.

"Why _this_, to be sure,--grub to begin with, and a smoke and a
convanient snooze in prospect."

The hopes which Barney cherished, however, were destined to be blighted,
at least in part. To the victuals he did ample justice; the pipe was
delightful, and in good working order; but when they lay down to repose,
they were attacked by swarms of stinging ants, which the heat of the
fire had driven out of the old logs. These and mosquitoes effectually
banished sleep from their eye-lids, and caused them to reflect very
seriously, and to state to each other more than once very impressively,
that with all their beauties and wonders, tropical lands had their
disadvantages, and there was no place like the "ould country," after
all.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

THE SAD AND MOMENTOUS ERA REFERRED TO AT THE CLOSE OF THE CHAPTER
PRECEDING THE LAST.

One sultry evening, many weeks after our travellers had passed the
uncomfortable night on the floating island in the Gapo, they came to a
place where the banks of the river rose boldly up in rugged rocks and
hemmed in the waters of the Amazon, which were by this time somewhat
abated. Here they put ashore, intending to kindle their fire and encamp
for the night, having been up and hard at work since day-break.

The evening was calm and beautiful, and the troublesome insects not so
numerous as usual,--probably owing to the nature of the ground. One or
two monkeys showed themselves for a moment, as if to inquire who was
there, and then ran away screaming; a porcupine also crossed their path,
and several small bright snakes, of a harmless species, glided over the
rocks, and sought refuge among the small bushes; but beyond these there
were few of the sights and sounds that were wont to greet them in the
forest.

"I think things look well to-night," remarked Martin as he threw down a
bundle of sticks which he had gathered for the fire; "we shall have a
comfortable snooze for certain, if the mosquitoes don't wake