nt,"
replied Scott. "I should like a little more variety in our daily life."

"I don't think I should care to go hunting more than one day in a week,
or, at most, two," replied Louis. "We have had it right along for a
week; and, as you suggest, that's too much of a good thing."

"But it was you, Louis, who went in for three weeks of it," added the
captain.

"Simply because I thought it would take the Guardian-Mother and the
Blanche about that time to visit Siam and French Cochin-China."

"I suppose if we had made our trip up these rivers in a sampan, we
should not have got so far inland in another week," added Morris.

"I don't think we should have come up here at all if the Blanchita had
not been available," said Louis. "But we are close to the mountains now,
and I am in favor of a tramp on shore."

"All right; and after breakfast we will get under way, for I must attend
to the navigation," replied Scott; "and I suppose Felipe has steam
enough by this time."

They left the table, and Scott went to the wheel. To save time and
trouble, the men took their meals in the after cabin, and the engineer
had the head of the table. Both Louis and Felix had run the engine of
the Maud a portion of the time on her memorable voyage from Funchal to
Gibraltar, and the former was sent to the engine-room. The boat went
ahead; and after passing through a section of pandanus, they came to an
open lake, which they judged to be five miles long.

The water was shallow, though deep enough for the steamer. The captain
opened the binnacle, and headed the Blanchita to the north. It was a
very quiet time, and the boat went along at her usual speed. In little
less than half an hour she reached the head of the lake; but there was
no convenient landing-place for a craft of her draught, and she was
anchored at a considerable distance from the shore. Achang and two of
the seamen were directed to attend the "Big Four," and they were landed
in the sampan.

Each of the cabin party took his fowling-piece, while Achang had a
rifle, and each of the sailors carried one, the latter to be used by the
young men if they were wanted. They had walked but a short distance
before they came to a steep precipice about twenty feet high, at which a
notched log had been placed by some former visitors, as they supposed;
but as soon as they had mounted it, they came upon a Dyak long-house,
which might have been better called a short-house, for it contained but
si