ration.

"They might--it is possible they might," said he, apparently debating
the question within himself--"just possible; and yet I fear--"

"What do you fear?" asked Caspar.

"Do you think they would not be strong enough?"

"Strong enough," replied Karl. "That's not what I fear."

"The air can't pass through an eel-skin?"

"No--not that."

"At the seams, perhaps? We can stitch them neatly; and then gum them
over at the joinings. I'll warrant Ossaroo can sew like a shoemaker."

The shikaree could do all that. Karl knew it. It was not there the
difficulty lay.

"The weight, then?" pursued Caspar interrogatively.

"Precisely that," answered Karl; "I fear they will be too heavy. Bring
one, Ossaroo; and let us have a look at it."

The shikaree rose from his seat; and going into the hovel, returned
presently--bringing back with him a long shrivelled object, which any
one could tell to be a dried eel-skin.

There were many like it inside: for they had carefully preserved the
skins of the eels they had caught, induced to do so by a sort of
presentiment, that some day they might find a use for them. In this
case their prudent providence was likely to prove of service to them.

Karl took the skin; and, holding it out on the palm of his hand,
appeared to make an estimate of its weight. Caspar watched his
brother's countenance, and waited to hear what he would say; but Karl
only expressed himself by a doubtful shake of the head, which seemed to
show that his opinion was _against_ the eel-skins.

"They might be made much lighter, I fancy," suggested Caspar: "scraping
would do a deal for them; and by the way, why would not boiling make
them light enough? It would take all the fatty, oily substance out of
them."

"There's something in what you say," rejoined Karl, apparently impressed
by the last suggestion. "Boiling might render them a good deal lighter.
We can easily try it."

As Karl said this, he proceeded to the boiling spring, and plunged the
eel-skin under the water. There it was permitted to remain for about
half an hour, when it was taken out; and, after being scraped with the
blade of a knife, was spread upon a rock, under the sun, where it would
soon get thoroughly dry.

They all waited patiently for the completion of this process. The
result was of too interesting a character to allow of their occupying
themselves with anything else.

In due time the eel-skin had become sufficiently dr