stened to collect fuel, and kindle a fire, in order to prepare
some food. Assuming, as usual, the entire superintendence and control
of the culinary department, and every thing connected therewith, he set
Browne to work washing and scraping tara-roots, despatched me after a
fresh supply of fuel, and sent Morton with the hand-net down to the
fish-pond to take out a couple of fish for a broil. But while thus
freely assigning tasks to the rest of us, with the composed air of one
accustomed to the exercise of unquestioned authority, he by no means
shrunk from his own fair share of the work; and having got the fire
burning cleverly by the time that Morton returned with the fish, he
rolled up his sleeves, and with an air of heroic fortitude, commenced
the necessary, but somewhat unpleasant process of cleaning them.

Night had now set in, but the sky being perfectly clear, and the moon at
her full, it was scarcely darker than at early twilight.

Max seemed to prolong his culinary operations to the utmost, either from
pure love of the employment, or with the still lingering hope, that our
companions might yet arrive in time to partake of our supper.

At last however, it became apparent that the cookery could not, without
serious detriment, be longer protracted. The bursting skin of the taro
revealed the rich mealy interior, and eloquently proclaimed its
readiness to be eaten. The fish were done to a turn, and filled the
cabin with a savoury odour, doubly grateful to our nostrils after a
twelve hours' fast. Max declared with a sigh, that another moment upon
the gridiron would ruin them, and he was reluctantly compelled to serve
up the repast without further delay, when, notwithstanding our growing
anxiety on account of Arthur's absence, we made a hearty meal. After
feeding Monsieur Paul, and setting by some food in readiness for our
companions when they should arrive, as we still hoped they would do in
the course of the evening, we went out to a spot above the cascade,
where Morton and Browne had arranged some rude fragments of basalt, so
as to form a semicircle of seats, which, if less comfortable than
well-cushioned arm-chairs would have been, might at any rate be
considered in decidedly better "rural taste," and in more harmonious
keeping with the character of the surrounding scene.

From this point we could trace the windings of the brook for some
distance in one direction, while below us, in the opposite one, spread