le. With their hangers, or short swords, they cut down a
small sapling of some four inches in diameter, split it up, pared
each half down, and manufactured two bows; which were rough,
indeed, but sufficiently strong to send an arrow a considerable
distance. They then made each a dozen shafts, pointed and notched
them. Without feathers, or metal points, these could not fly
straight to any distance; but they had no thought of long-range
shooting.

"Now," Ned said, "we will go back to that bare space of rock we
passed, a hundred yards back. There were dozens of little lizards
running about there, it will be hard if we cannot knock some over."

"Are they good to eat?" Tom asked.

"I have no doubt they are," Ned said. "As a rule, everything is
more or less good to eat. Some things may be nicer than others, but
hardly anything is poisonous. I have eaten snakes, over and over
again, and very good they are. I have been keeping a lookout for
them, ever since we started this morning."

When they reached the rock, the lizards all darted off to their
cracks and crevices; but Ned and Tom lay down, with their bows bent
and arrows in place, and waited quietly. Ere long the lizards
popped up their heads again, and began to move about, and the lads
now let fly their arrows. Sometimes they hit, sometimes missed, and
each shot was followed by the disappearance of the lizards; but
with patience they found, by the end of an hour, that they had shot
a dozen, which was sufficient for an ample meal for them.

"How will you cook them, Ned?"

"Skin them as if they were eels, and then roast them on a stick."

"I am more thirsty than hungry," Tom said.

"Yes, and from the look of the country, water must be scarce.
However, as long as we can shoot lizards and birds, we can drink
their blood."

The fire was soon lighted, and the lizards cooked. They tasted like
little birds, their flesh being tender and sweet.

"Now we had better be proceeding," Ned said, when they had finished
their meal. "We have an unknown country to explore and, if we ever
get across, we shall have materials for yarns for the rest of our
lives."

"Well, Ned, I must say you are a capital fellow to get into a
scrape with. You got Gerald and me out of one, and if anyone could
get through this, I am sure you could do so. Gerald told me that he
always relied upon you, and found you always right. You may be sure
that I will do the same. So I appoint you captain general