imself on John's arm,
holding him affectionately round the neck with his tail. Poll and Niger
always accompanied Ellen. "We shall soon be back!" I exclaimed, as I
shoved off; "and who knows but that we may be accompanied by papa,
mamma, Fanny, and Aunt Martha! Ellen, you must get out your books, for
she will be shocked at finding that you have been so long idle." With
these and other cheerful remarks we backed away from the shore, then,
turning the canoe's head round, proceeded after our Indian friends. By
keeping close to the banks we were out of the current, and thus made
good way. Sometimes I steered, sometimes Duppo. Arthur always begged
that he might keep at his paddle, saying he did not like to take the
place of those who had more experience than himself. A light wind at
length coming from the eastward, we hoisted our sail, and got ahead of
Maono and his wife. The wind increasing, we ran the other canoe out of
sight; but Duppo assured us that his father and mother would soon catch
us up, and that we need not therefore wait for them. We looked into
every opening in the forest which lined the bank, in the faint hope of
seeing the habitation of our friends; but not a hut of any description
was visible; indeed, the shores were mostly lined with so dense a
vegetation, that in but few places could we even have landed, while
often for leagues together there was not a spot on which a hut could
have been built. The wind again falling, we were obliged once more to
lower our sail and to take to our paddles, when we were quickly rejoined
by our Indian friends. As it was important to examine every part of the
shore carefully, we had agreed, if we could find an island, to land
early in the evening on it.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

OUR EXPLORING EXPEDITION--FEARFUL DANGER.

A week had passed away. We had crossed the stream several times to
examine the southern bank of the river, and every inch of the northern
bank had been explored. Sometimes we met Maono and his wife to compare
notes, and then we again separated to continue our explorations. We
were now once more proceeding up the Napo, with high clay banks
surmounted by lofty forest trees above our heads. "I see some people
moving on the shore there. O Harry! can it be them?" exclaimed Arthur.
Several persons appeared coming through an opening in the forest, at a
spot where the ground sloped down to the water. We could, however, see
no habitation.

"It is