you know, senhor, that
splashing tends to keep alligators off, though it is not always
successful. Before I had made half a dozen strokes, however, I felt my
flesh creep. Do you know what it feels like to have your flesh creep?"

"No, not exactly," replied Lawrence; "but I have a pretty good guess as
to what you mean."

"Well," resumed the guide, "I felt my flesh creep, for I heard a most
awful puffing and splashing close behind me. At the same time I heard a
wild cheer on the bank, as if my foes were rejoicing at the prospect of
my being eaten up! I looked back quickly, expecting to see the terrible
jaws and the long rows of teeth; but, to my great surprise, I saw only
my friend pursuing me with his knife in his teeth, as if he wanted to
finish me. I understood the thing at once. The good fellow knew that
two could make a better splashing than one, and he also hoped, no doubt,
that his comrades would give him credit for extreme bravery in thus
jumping into such danger for the sake--as they would suppose--of killing
an enemy! The cheer they gave him showed what they thought on that
point.

"We both gained the opposite bank--I a few yards in advance. You may be
sure I was not slow in bounding up the bank. I could hear the howl of
rage with which the villains saw the failure of their plan. What is
more, I could both hear and see the arrows that were sent after me, but,
through God's blessing, none of them touched me, and I was soon in the
shelter of the woods. I could also hear my friend panting at my heels.

"I'm a pretty fair runner," continued Pedro, "but my friend is a better.
He passed me like a deer. `Come on,' he cried, `you've no time to
lose.' From which I knew he meant that the blackguards would cross the
river in canoes and pursue me. He led me across a spit of jungle-land
where the river took a sudden bend, and came out on the bank at the head
of a long rapid. On reaching the bank he pulled out a small canoe which
had been concealed there, and told me to jump in. `You'll have to run
the rapid. It's not much of a chance, but it's your only one.' I
squeezed his hand, thanked him hastily, and was soon paddling quickly
with the current. In a few moments I heard my friend shouting with rage
and brandishing his knife. He was acting, I knew. Looking back I saw
that a number of men had joined him, and again the arrows began to drop
around me, but I was soon beyond their reach and battling with