eath-knife, which he hung up under the
canvas to be clear of the night dew or rain.

It was still grey the next morning when the boatmen sat ready with their
oars, and Captain Ossolo stood in the dinghy beside Brazier's boat,
which swung astern of the _Tessa_, down into whose hold scores of
light-footed women were passing basketfuls of oranges.

They paused in their work for a few minutes as the captain shook hands
with all in turn.

"_A revederla_!" he cried, taking off his Panama hat. "I see you when
you come back, ole boy; goo'-bye; take yourself care of you."

The next minute he was waving his soft hat from the dinghy, while
Brazier's boat was gliding up stream, and the two boys stood up and gave
him a hearty cheer.

"Now, youngsters," said Shaddy, as he cleared the little mast lying
under the thwarts, "we shall catch the wind as soon as we're round the
next bend; so we may as well let Natur' do the work when she will."

"What's that, Shadrach?" said Brazier; "going to hoist the sail?"

"Ay, sir. No _Tessa_ to tow us now."

"True. What do you mean to do first?"

"Ask you to resist all temptations to stop at what you calls likely
bits, sir, and wait till we get up a hundred mile or so, when I'll take
you into waters which will be exactly what you want."

"Very good; I leave myself then in your hands."

"Just to start you, sir. After that it's you as takes the helm."

As their guide said, the wind was fair as soon as they had rowed round a
bend of the great, smooth river; the sail was hoisted, the oars laid in,
and the Indian rowers too, for as soon as they had ceased pulling they
lay down forward to sleep, and that night the boat was moored to a tree
on the eastern side of the stream, far-away from the haunts of civilised
man, while Rob lay sleepless, listening to the strange and weird sounds
which rose from the apparently impenetrable forest on the far-away
western shore.

CHAPTER FOUR.

NOISES OF THE NIGHT.

"Not asleep, my lad?" said a voice at his elbow as Rob crept out from
under the awning to the extreme stern.

"You, Shaddy? No, I can't sleep. It all seems so strange."

"Ay, it do to you," said the man in a husky whisper. "You've got it
just on you now strong. You couldn't go to sleep because you thought
that them four Indian chaps forward might come with their knives and
finish you and drop you overboard--all of us."

"How do you know I thought that?"

"Ah, I know!" said Sh