had no intention of being left behind. "Pray let him go," said Marian.
"I would on no account detain him, for he probably would be very unhappy
if separated from Kallolo." Quacko, therefore, became one of our crew,
or rather a passenger, for it was not to be expected that he would do
much towards the navigation of the log.

The day was spent in making some preparations for the voyage and in
exchanging provisions, the skipper generously offering to leave the cask
of biscuits, some herrings, and a couple of bottles of his beloved
schiedam with my father. "If we find the mouth of a river, and believe
that we can easily sail up it, we will return for you, as it might take
us some weeks to complete our craft, and you would not wish to live up
the tree all that time," he said.

At daybreak the next morning we commenced our voyage. A strong breeze
filled our sail, and we glided on with greater speed than the log had
before moved through the water. Among other articles which had been put
on board were a number of large nuts from the cuja-tree, with which
Uncle Paul proposed forming floats or lifebuoys for each of the party.
"We might," he observed, "have to swim on shore, or they might help on
some other occasion to save our lives." Kallolo had manufactured a
quantity of line from the fibres of a tree of the palm species in our
grove, so that we had an abundance of cordage. After we were afloat and
on our voyage, I could not help thinking that we might have built a
canoe, which would certainly have been more manageable than the unwieldy
log; but Mynheer van Dunk preferred the more stable conveyance.

As the wind continued fresh and favourable, we made pretty fair way, and
were in good spirits. As we went along we kept a watchful eye for any
indications of an opening on our larboard side; but mile after mile was
accomplished, and only a long line of forest met our sight. We sailed
on by night as well as by day, to take advantage of the favourable
breeze; and by keeping close in, sometimes even between islands of
trees, if I may so describe them, we escaped the strength of the
current.

The natives, I should have said, had brought a number of thin straight
branches, with which to manufacture bows, and arrows, and lances, that
we might have the means of killing game when our provisions should be
expended. Kallolo, indeed, understood how to make the celebrated
zabatana, or blowpipe, though he had not been able to obta