the bank.

"Going to have a wash?" said Joe, breaking in upon Rob's contemplative
fit of rapture as he gazed with hungry eyes at the lovely scene.

"Wash? Oh yes!" cried Rob, starting, and he fetched a rough towel out
of the tent, went to the side, and hesitated.

"Hadn't we better have a swim?" he said. "You'll come?"

"Not him," growled Shaddy. "What yer talking about? Want to feed the
fishes?"

"Rubbish! I can swim," said Rob warmly; and leaning over the side, he
plunged his hands into the water, sweeping them about.

"Deliciously cool!" he cried. "Oh!"

He snatched out his right and then his left, and as he did so a little
silvery object dropped into the water.

Joe looked on in silence, and a peculiar smile came over Shaddy's
countenance as he saw Rob examine the back of his hand.

"Something's been biting me in the night," he said. "It bleeds."

Rob thrust in his hand again to wash away the blood, but snatched it out
the next minute, for as the ruddy fluid tinged the water there was a
rush of tiny fish at his hand, and he stared at half a dozen tiny bites
which he had received.

"Why, they're little fish," he cried. "Are they the piranas you talked
about, Joe?"

"Yes. What do you say to a swim now?"

"I'm willing. The splashing would drive them away."

Shaddy chuckled again.

"The splashing would bring them by thousands," said Joe quietly. "You
can't bathe here. Those little fish would bite at you till in a few
minutes you would be covered with blood, and that would bring thousands
more up to where you were."

"And they'd eat me up," said Rob mockingly.

"If somebody did not drag you out. They swarm in millions, and the
bigger fish, too, are always ready to attack anything swimming in the
stream."

"Come and hold the tiller here, Joe, my lad," growled Shaddy, "while I
dip him a bucket of water to wash. When he knows the Paraguay like we
do, he won't want to bathe. Why, Mr Rob, there's all sorts o' things
here ready for a nice juicy boy, from them little piranas right up to
turtles and crocodiles and big snakes, so you must do your swimming with
a sponge till we get on a side river and find safe pools."

He dipped the bucket, and Rob had his wash; by that time Brazier had
joined him.

"Well, Rob," he cried, "is this good enough for you? Will the place
do?"

"Do?" cried Rob. "Oh, I feel as if I do not want to talk, only to sit
and look at the trees. There, ain't those o