c juice to exclude all moisture. Poor old Vilcamapata was
still insensible when Dick returned, and Phil was looking exceedingly
anxious about him; but the production of the medicine case soon altered
matters; and a few minutes later the old man was sitting up and looking
about him dazedly. At first he seemed not to recognise Phil or Dick, or
to be able to remember what had happened; but gradually it all came back
to him; and when Phil asked him how he felt he replied that he was
fatigued and desired to sleep. Accordingly, the young medico bathed the
wound with water from the river, applied some healing ointment to it,
bound it up with what remained of their shirts; then they made up a
temporary couch for the sufferer under the shadow of a bush, and left
him to sleep as long as he would, while Dick went off in search of game,
and Phil proceeded to carve a pair of new paddles and to cut a couple of
new poles.

When Dick returned from his hunting expedition, some two hours later,
with a small deer and a brace of guinea fowl, he found that Vilcamapata
was still asleep, while Phil was putting the finishing touches to the
new paddles. The Peruvian, it appeared, had scarcely moved since he
fell asleep; and there was some peculiarity in the manner of his
breathing which was causing Stukely a good deal of anxiety.

"I am rather afraid," explained Phil, "that the poor old man has
sustained some internal injury, in addition to the wound on his head;
and, if so, we may have trouble with him. But we will let him sleep as
long as he will; for sleep is a great restorer; and the breathing
difficulty may disappear when he awakes and sits up. But when he does,
I will subject him to a very careful examination. It was most
unfortunate that your pole broke, Dick; but for that I believe we should
have shot the rapids in perfect safety."

While Phil completed the paddles, Dick set to work to light a fire,
break up the deer, and prepare the guinea fowl for cooking; and still
the injured man slept on, his breathing ever growing more laboured and
stertorous, until at length the difficulty with which he drew his breath
awakened him and, with a groan, he strove to raise himself. In an
instant Stukely was by his side and, slipping an arm beneath his
shoulders, he raised the old man to a sitting position, with his back
supported by the stiff branches of the bush under the shadow of which he
had been sleeping. And while he was making the p