ife of our friend."

Arthur agreed with me, and entreating Ellen to keep up her spirits till
our return, we again, greatly to Illora's satisfaction, jumped into the
canoe. "We hope to be back to-morrow morning!" I cried out, as we
shoved off.

Though somewhat fatigued, we exerted ourselves as much as before, and
having the current in our favour, made good progress. Examining the
banks as we went along, I saw how almost impossible it would have been
to have effected a landing on that dreadful night of the storm, when we
had the raft in tow, for one dense mass of foliage fringed the whole
extent, with the exception of a short distance, where I recognised the
sand-bank on which Arthur had been nearly killed by the anaconda. Maono
every now and then uttered a low groan when his wife bathed his head
with water--the best remedy, I thought, she could apply.

The voyage was longer than I had expected, for nearly two hours had
passed before we reached the mouth of the igarape, near which the hut of
the recluse stood. Having secured the canoe, Illora lifted up her
husband by the shoulders, while we put the paddles under his body, and
his son carried his feet. We then hastened on towards the hut. As we
came in sight of it, Duppo shouted out to announce our approach to the
recluse. No one appeared. The door, I saw, was closed, but the ladder
was down. We stopped as we got up to it, when Duppo, springing up the
steps, knocked at the door. My heart misgave me. The recluse might be
ill. Then I thought of the ladder being down, and concluded that he was
absent from home. Again Duppo knocked, and obtaining no reply, opened
the door and cautiously looked in. No one was within. What were we to
do? Were we to wait for the return of the owner, or go back to our
settlement? I advised that Maono should be carried within, and proposed
waiting till he appeared. We lifted him up and placed him under the
shade of the verandah. Meantime Duppo collected a number of dried
leaves, with which to form a bed, as he was not in a fit state to be
placed in a hammock. I then advised Illora to send Duppo for water,
while Arthur and I went out and searched for the recluse, in the hope
that he might be in the neighbourhood. We first went to his plantation,
thinking that he might be there, but could nowhere find him. It
appeared, indeed, as if it had not been lately visited, as it was in a
far more disordered state than when we had befo