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Uncle Paul now gave the signal to start. Maco and Sambo led the way, as they had only lately passed down the channel, and were better acquainted with it than Kallolo, who brought up the rear. As before, my sensations were those of a person swimming in a dream. I felt myself floating through the smooth, dark waters, and striking out with my arms and legs, and moving onwards.
To my horror the creature, reaching the log, began to climb it, exhibiting the folds of its huge body; while its mouth was open wide enough to swallow either of us at a gulp, though it might possibly have been contented with poor Quacko, had Kallolo been willing to sacrifice his favourite. "Fly, Massa Guy! fly!" he shouted, springing back himself, with Quacko in his arms.
Arthur had secured a couple of good-sized parrots; and Kallolo had discovered a macaw's nest, the young of which he had taken, with a good supply of figs. Altogether, we had reason to be satisfied with our morning's hunt, as we had food enough to last us for the day. The birds I had caught were found to be manakins and tiger-birds.
However, it had to be done, unless we should make up our minds to return. "Are you ready to go?" he asked. "Yes, yes," answered Arthur. Kallolo entered the water and struck out. We followed, keeping close behind him and trailing our poles by our sides. I did my best to keep the end of mine down, so that any creature at the bottom might seize hold of it instead of my legs.
The three Indians at once undertook not only to put handles to the hammers, but to sharpen the stones intended for axeheads. "It will take some time," observed Kallolo; "but in our country we do not think much of time, and patience overcomes all difficulties." "We must not, however, forget the necessity of finding provisions for our settlement," observed Uncle Paul.
The shaft of the arrow, however, remaining above it, Kallolo sprang into the water and caught it just as it was sinking, and towed it alongside. Passing a rope round the body of the turtle, we next hauled it on board, when Kallolo, breaking off the shaft, turned the animal on its back. It was alive, but from the weak way in which it moved its legs it was evident that life was ebbing fast.
Arthur suggested that we should try to get a rope round the animal. "We kill him first, and then make him fast," observed Kallolo. "He will hold on with his claws till him quite dead." As the skipper was especially anxious to have a good supply of food in readiness for the voyage, it was finally decided that the sloth should die before daylight.
"Stay a moment," said Kallolo. "There are but two people; and if they were foes, they would not approach in that manner. Who is there?" he asked, in his native tongue. "Friends," answered a voice.
Having made a hurried meal of some of the provisions which remained from our supper of the previous night, we set out. Polo was my companion, Arthur took Maco, and Tim was accompanied by Kallolo. The Indians carried their bows and arrows, and we were each armed with long poles, which, being pointed at one end, would serve as spears as well as assist us in our progress.
Several times the boughs threatened to give way beneath our feet; and once Arthur and I were plunged into a mass of rotten brushwood and water, where we should certainly have lost our lives had not Kallolo quickly hauled us out again with the rope.
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