a short time he would swing himself off by
his tail within a foot or two of the dog's nose, stretching out his paws
as if he were going to catch him by the ear, taking good care to be
ready to spring again far out of his reach should True show the
slightest signs of leaping up.

"It won't be long before we see Master Nimble riding on True's back, and
using his tail as a whip," said Arthur, who had been watching the two
animals. He was right; and in a few days Nimble and True became very
good friends.

Our boat-building proceeded well. A log of twenty feet in length having
been cut off and placed on the rollers, we secured a number of tough
lianas to it, and using them as traces, dragged it down to the river.
We could, however, move it but slowly, and two whole days were thus
consumed. The upper side being smoothed off, a slit was made down the
whole length, which was opened slowly by wedges. Having cleared out a
considerable portion of the inside, it was turned over and raised on
trestles. Beneath it a fire was made along the whole length. Other
pieces of hard wood were gradually driven in with wedges to increase the
opening, the larger ones being in the centre, where the width was to be
the greatest. In about eight hours the work was thus far completed.
The bow and tern were made of hewn planks in a circular form, fastened
with wooden pins. A plank on each side was next secured, and benches
fixed in. The seams were caulked with gum collected from trees growing
near, mixed with resin, which exuded from the trunks of others. We thus
constructed a vessel, of sufficient size to make a voyage of upwards of
one thousand miles down the mighty river, solely of materials found in
the wilderness. Paddles were also quickly formed by the Indians of the
tough wood of another tree, which they split into boards. They then
wove some mats for sails, lianas of different thicknesses serving as
cordage.

After this our native friends selected another tree, from which they
proposed to form the second canoe. This was to be smaller, that they
might be able to paddle it up against the stream. It was built in the
same way as the first, but without mast or sails.

CHAPTER SIX.

VOYAGE ON THE RIVER COMMENCED.

All was now ready for our departure from our first halting-place. Early
in the morning, having carefully laden our two vessels, we embarked.
John, Ellen, Maria, and Domingos went in the larger one, accompanied by