the morning; when, rousing themselves
with difficulty, they kindled a fire and cooked a breakfast of the
boar's ham cured by them before leaving the coast. It was the second,
and of course the last, already becoming rapidly reduced to a "knuckle;"
for their journey was now entering upon the second week.

They bethought them of making a halt on the bank of the lake; partly to
recruit their strength after the long-continued fatigue, and partly, if
possible, to replenish their larder.

Saloo got ready his blow-gun and poisoned arrows; Captain Redwood looked
to his rifle; while the ship-carpenter, whose speciality was fishing,
and who for this purpose had brought his hooks and lines along with him,
determined on trying what species of the finny tribe frequented the
inland lake, in hopes they might prove less shy at biting than their
brethren of the sea-coast stream.

Again the three men started off, Murtagh traversing in solitude the edge
of the lake, while Captain Redwood, with his rifle--accompanied by
Saloo, carrying his sumpitan and quiver of poisoned arrows--struck
direct into the woods.

Henry and Helen remained where they had passed the night, under the
shadow of a spreading tree; which, although of a species unknown to the
travellers, had been cautiously scrutinised by them, and seemed to be
neither a durion nor a upas. They were cautioned not to stir a step
from the spot till the others should return.

Though in other respects a good, obedient boy, Henry Redwood was not
abundantly gifted with prudence. He was a native-born New Yorker, and
as such, of course, precocious, courageous, daring, even to a fault--in
short, having the heart of a man beating within the breast of a boy. So
inspired, when a huge bird, standing even taller than himself on its
great stilt-like legs--it was the adjutant stork of India (_ciconia
argalia_)--dropped down upon the point of a little peninsula which
projected into the lake, he could not resist the temptation of getting a
shot at it.

Grasping the great ship's musket--part of the paraphernalia they had
brought along with them, and which was almost as much as he could
stagger under--he started to stalk the great crane, leaving little Helen
under the tree.

Some reeds growing along the edge of the lake offered a chance by which
the game might be approached, and under cover of them he had crept
almost within shot of it, when a cry fell upon his ear, thrilling him
with a sudde