ufacture some hooks, though of what material I was puzzled to guess.
The kind of tree which had so opportunely reached us I afterwards saw
growing on shore. It reaches to about the height of thirty feet. The
leaves are large, pinnate, shining, and very smooth and irregular. They
grow out of the trunk, the whole of which is covered with a coating of
fibres hanging down like coarse hair. It is called by the natives
_piassaba_. This fibre is manufactured into cables and small ropes. It
is also used for brooms and brushes; while out of the finer portions are
manufactured artificial flowers, baskets, and a variety of delicate
articles.

While Duppo was working away at the fishing-lines, I was watching the
various masses of trees floating near us. One especially I had observed
for some time a little ahead of us, and we now appeared to be nearing
it. As I watched it I saw something moving about, and at length I
discovered that it was a monkey. He kept jumping about from branch to
branch, very much astonished at finding himself floating down the river.
He was evidently longing to get back to his woods, but how to manage it
was beyond his conception. I pointed him out to Duppo. "He do," he
said, nodding his head. It was a great question, however, whether we
should reach the floating island. Even when close to it the current
might sweep us off in another direction. Still, as we had drawn so
near, I was in hopes that we should be drifted up to it. Had I not been
hungry, I should have been very unwilling to shoot the monkey but now, I
confess, I longed to get to the island for that very object. The
creature would supply us and True with food for a couple of days, at all
events. By that time Duppo might have finished his fishing-lines, and
we might be able to catch some fish. Had we been on a raft, we might
have impelled it towards an island; but we had no control over the huge
tree which supported us. All we could do therefore was to sit quiet and
watch its progress. Sometimes I doubted whether it was getting nearer,
and my hopes of obtaining a dinner off the poor monkey grew less and
less. Then it received a new impulse, and gradually we approached the
island. Again for an hour or more we went drifting on, and seemed not
to have drawn a foot nearer all the time. Duppo every now and then
looked up from his work and nodded his head, to signify that he was
satisfied with the progress we were making. He certainl