nding to
extract its precious pith; but this they had been unable to accomplish
alone, and waited for my assistance. But while they were engaged in this
employment, a troop of monkeys had broken into the tent and pillaged and
destroyed everything; they had drunk or overturned the milk, and carried
off or spoiled all our provisions; and even so much injured the palisade
I had erected round the tent, that it took them an hour, after they
returned, to repair the damage. Fritz had made also a beautiful capture,
in a nest he had discovered in the rocks at Cape Disappointment. It was
a superb bird, and, though very young, quite feathered. Ernest had
pronounced it to be the eagle of Malabar, and I confirmed his assertion;
and as this species of eagle is not large, and does not require much
food, I advised him to train it as a falcon, to chase other birds. I
took this opportunity to announce that henceforward every one must
attend to his own live stock, or they should be set at liberty, mamma
having sufficient to manage in her own charge.

We then made a fire of green wood, in the smoke of which we placed the
buffalo-meat we had brought home, leaving it during the night, that it
might be perfectly cured. We had had some for supper, and thought it
excellent. The young buffalo was beginning to graze, and we gave him a
little milk to-night, as well as to the jackal. Fritz had taken the
precaution to cover the eyes of his eagle, and tying it fast by the leg
to a branch, it rested very tranquilly. We then retired to our mossy
beds, to recruit our strength for the labours of another day.

At break of day we rose, made a light breakfast, and I was about to give
the signal of departure, when my wife communicated to me the difficulty
they had had in cutting down the palm-tree, and the valuable provision
that might be obtained from it with a little trouble. I thought she was
right, and decided to remain here another day; for it was no trifling
undertaking to split up a tree seventy feet long. I consented the more
readily, as I thought I might, after removing the useful pith from the
trunk, obtain two large spouts or channels to conduct the water from
Jackal River to the kitchen garden.

Such tools as we had we carried to the place where the tree lay. We
first sawed off the head; then, with the hatchet making an opening at
each end, we took wedges and mallets, and the wood being tolerably soft,
after four hours' labour, we succeeded in