far do the floods extend?"

"In some places a hundred miles, and on the Amazon itself, as I have
heard, a great deal further."

They paddled along close to the bank until they reached a spot where it
was bordered by a vast number of reeds, many of them as thick as Stephen's
arm.

"Now we are going to make our raft," Hurka said. "These reeds are far
better than solid branches. They are very light, and we fasten them but
loosely together, so that they can give to the water. When we have made
it, we shall then want four young saplings. These we shall lash together
firmly in a square, and under each corner we fasten the skins, and one
also in the middle of each pole; you know we have brought eight with us.
First we make the raft itself with the rushes. It is made about four feet
larger each way than the frame with the skins. This frame is laid in the
raft, and is fastened loosely to it. Thus you see the raft itself is
complete without the poles and skins, which, so long as it holds together,
simply rest on it, but if the raft gets broken up the skins will support
the poles. We generally lash a few cross poles to the frame, and on these
we sit, for the water splashes up between the reeds, making everything
wet. As we are going to take our canoe with us, we shall not want the
cross poles, but shall lay her on the reeds and get on board her. We shall
pick out the largest reeds we can get to place under the spot where she
will lie, and shall only get out of the boat when it is necessary to go to
the front or sides of the raft to pole her off from any floating tree or
other danger."

It took them two days to complete the raft, the second day's work being
carried on afloat, for the stream rose very rapidly. The lashings of the
reeds were of leather thongs, so tied that while they were held firmly in
their places there was a great deal of play, an advantage that Stephen
discovered as soon as they were afloat again on the stream. The rapidity
with which the river was running raised it in a series of sharp waves, and
a rigid raft would have had one end or the other constantly immersed. The
raft, however, undulated with the water almost as a carpet of the same
size would have done, the lashings of the buoyant reeds permitting each
side to rise and fall, while the structure upon it lifted or fell with the
motion. The canoe half floated and was half supported by the raft below
it, and Stephen was surprised to find how slight the mo