er to inspect them.

"I like tigers better than these creatures," said he; "certainly their
roaring is frightful to listen to, but they are by no means so hideous."

"Look along there, M. Sumichrast!" cried Lucien, when we had again taken
to our raft; "there are eyes floating on the water!"

"You are not mistaken; they are crocodile's eyes."

The child nestled up to me, and I encouraged him; but these dark eyes
appearing in every direction, and following every movement of the raft,
troubled him beyond expression.

The banks of the river were covered with alligators, with their mouths
wide agape. Some of them glided down into the water and came near us,
but the majority remained motionless, not caring to exert themselves.
Lucien's fear began to calm down. He had so wished to see plenty of
alligators; now he complained that there were too many.

"Look at that one," said Sumichrast, "climbing up that spit of land. He
turns round with difficulty, and looks as if he scarcely had the use of
his limbs. The fact is, that his body has no proper joints, and only
moves in one piece. The best way, therefore, to escape from an alligator
is to run up and down, making the turns short and rapid."

[Illustration: "The Indian and his branch descended with a splash into
the river."]

The stream had hitherto flowed almost on a level with its banks, now the
latter became gradually higher, and we floated along under an arch of
foliage. L'Encuerado happened to raise himself to point out to Lucien a
tree covered with parrots, between whom and the Indian there immediately
commenced a lively chatter. Diverted by this amusing conversation,
none of us perceived an enormous branch, which just grazed our heads but
upset our entertainer. When he emerged from the water, instead of
swimming towards us, l'Encuerado made his way to the bank, and began,
with cutlass in hand, to hew and hack at the tree which had been the
cause of his accident.

"If you're going to cut down that colossus," cried my friend, "we had
better encamp here, for it's eight days work at least."

"Only wait ten minutes more, at most, Tatita Sumichrast. It shall never
be said that this great booby broke my head and then laughed at me, to
the heart's delight of the parrots, who no doubt were the instigators of
such conduct."

L'Encuerado, by the notches he had cut in the tree, could easily climb
up to the lowest branch; but in his haste he slipped and fell a second
time i