red that he would burst if he took any more. Some time was
occupied in gathering and eating the plums. We had turned about so
often that when I began to paddle back, on my life I could not tell
which direction to take; not a gleam of sunlight could I see on any of
the trees, and before we had gone far the gloom of night began to settle
down among the tall trunks. I did not wish to spend a night in the
forest, with a chance of being capsized by an alligator, or cow-fish, or
grabbed by an anaconda.

"`Well, at all events, we shall not starve,' said Tom; `these plums are
very pleasant after the salt pork and dried fish we have had between our
teeth for the last few days.'

"`You forget the turtle soup and the tortoises.'

"`We did not have a very large share of the former in the gunroom,'
answered Gerald, `and the tortoises were such ugly looking beasts that
we did not take to them kindly.'

"`That was your own fault then,' I remarked; `I should advise you to try
the next you get sent in, and you will find it superior to fish, flesh,
or fowl, dressed according to a receipt Senhor Guedes gave the cook.'

"On going round the spot where we fell in with the plums, I discovered
the branch on which we had first seen them, and recollecting its
position, I was able to pull on in the direction we were then taking.
Thinking that we might be possibly near enough to the ship to be heard,
the midshipmen and I shouted at the top of our voices, but no reply
came; indeed, among those huge trunks, sounds penetrate to no great
distance. Still hoping to reach the brig, I persevered, as far as I
could judge, in the same direction. I felt that with all the scientific
knowledge possessed by the white man, how helpless he is in one of those
mighty forests, while a native would have found the way without the
slightest difficulty.

"Monkeys poked out their heads from the boughs on which they nestled and
chattered at us; macaws, parrots, toucans, and other strange birds,
screamed at us, and Gerald and Tom declared that they saw huge snakes
wriggling along the branches, and about to drop down and attack us, but
I suspected they were merely sipos, which, seen in the uncertain light,
as we went along, appeared to be moving. At last I began to fear that
we should not find the brig till daylight, and should have to pass the
night in the forest. The canoe, laden as she was with plums, not
allowing us space to lie down, I proposed, if we fail