200 WILD LIFE UNDER THE EQUATOR. 
much of it, together with bullets, were buried in the 
ground, so that if any one should come when we were 
absent they would not know where our ammunition was. 
My four men built also another hut for themselves. 
These huts were in the centre of the yards. By the 
time we had finished our camp, our plantains and our 
smoked cassada were stored away carefully ; fortunately 
’ the coola nut was there abundant, and we would have 
plenty to eat. 
We had three very nice dogs with us, splendid hunt- 
ers; besides, they would keep watch at night and warn 
us of danger. . 
We had also four Ashinga nets; each one of us had 
his own gun and a spare gun also. 
Malaouen, Gambo, Querlaouen, and I were to hunt, 
while the boys were to attend to the fire-wood and to our 
cooking, and also were to collect the wild nuts or berries 
of the forest. 
All this work was finished, and we went into the for- 
est and collected a large quantity of fire-wood, and I can 
assure you that we had real hard work, and I wish you 
could have seen us. I stood on the top and threw in the 
inside of the fort the wood that was handed to me by the 
others. 
At last a great pile of fire-wood was safely stored in- 
side, and we could withstand asiege. A little brook rose 
from under a rock inside of our palisade not far from 
one of the big trees, so that we had plenty of water to 
drink; it was a beautiful little spring. 
We felt very cosy and safe. We had only two cook- 
ing-pots with us. I had a good deal of tobacco, for I 
knew Querlaouen, Malaouen, and Gambo to be tremen- 
