uld allow.

"Faith, we have music at all events to lull us to sleep," exclaimed
Gerald Desmond; "but I wish those beasts would put a stopper to their
singing, though!"

"They may sing as long as they like, provided they don't bite," remarked
Gordon, following his companions' example.

In a short time the whole camp was at rest, with the exception of the
few sentries, the only sounds being the mysterious ones which came at
intervals from the forest, and the loud snoring of some of the soldiers
and seamen. The fires still kept blazing, casting a lurid glare over
the foaming waters as they rushed past, on the tall trees of the dark
forest on the other side, and on the figures of the officers and men
stretched in various attitudes on the ground.

Tom Rogers suddenly awoke; a mosquito had fixed its sharp proboscis in
his nose. He had dreamed that a serpent had got hold of it. Starting
up, he saw, between the trees near which he and his companions lay, a
pair of bright eyes glaring at him. They were contained in the head of
a creature which appeared crouching down, as if about to make a spring
towards him. He knew it at once to be a puma, the so-called lion of
South America. Leaping to his feet, he shouted to his companions to be
on their guard; the next instant it seemed that the animal would be upon
them. His voice awoke the lieutenants and the other officers who had
been sleeping near at hand, and quickly brought a sentry to the spot.
The man, catching sight of the puma, fired his musket; the report, of
course, aroused the whole camp. "A lion! a lion!" shouted several
voices, and in an instant the greater part of the bluejackets were in
hot chase after the animal, which, of course, rapidly bounded away far
out of sight.

They would have quickly lost themselves in the forest had not the
captain and officers called them back, and ordered them to lie down and
go to sleep again. The sentries were, in consequence of the visit they
had received, doubled and cautioned to keep a better lookout, not only
for human foes, but for any of the savage denizens of the forest which
might attempt to pay them another visit. At early dawn the camp was
again astir, and as Tom and the other midshipmen opened their eyes, they
saw grinning at them from among the branches a number of little hairy
faces chattering and grinning. They belonged to troops of monkeys who
had come, attracted by curiosity, to look at the strangers invading