Il6 A DISCOVERY. 



It was a cause of thankfulness on the part of all that the wounded Orak mended 

 so rapidly. Even Mr. Godkin, with his slight knowledge of medicine, would not 

 have dared to prophesy such speedy recovery as the African showed. Orak offered 

 to give help in building the stockade, but that could not be permitted. 



Respecting Pongoand Diedrick, the arrangement was that one of them should be 

 in camp during the absence of the hunters. The servants needed some one to 

 direct them; and especially if any unexpected danger should threaten, either the 

 Bushman or Hottentot was competent to assume charge of matters until the return 

 of one or all of the white men. 



The only weak point about the encampment lay in the tall grass which I have 

 told you skirted both banks of the stream running near. These offered the best of 

 concealment for wild beasts or men that might try to steal within striking distance 

 of the party at night. 



Mr. Godkin's uneasiness was such that most of the second day was spent in 

 cutting off the grass nearest the camp, and between it and the river. It was a 

 relief when so much had been removed that they felt tolerably secure against the 

 descent of any poisoned missiles in the night time. 



During the afternoon following the capture of the giraffes, and the next day, 

 none of our friends engaged in hunting, but they gave their help to the erection of the 

 stockade, and to putting everything in good form against the descent of the storm 

 that was liable to come up at any time. 



The feeling of security which diffused itself in camp was somewhat shaken at 

 the close of the second day, by a discovery of Abdallah, the native from Senaar. 

 He was wandering along the bank of the stream, where he was quite sure several 

 hippopotami had been but a short time before, when he stumbled over a raft, 

 drawn against the bank at a point precisely opposite the camp. 



This structure consisted of a dozen or more large logs, from which the branche 

 had been partly cut, bound together by ropes of twisted grass, which covered th; 

 top like the thatched roof of some humble dwelling. Its buoyancy was sufficient 

 to float several men. 



The party would have been glad to believe the raft had lain where it was found 

 since some date previous to the arrival of themselves, but that was impossible. Mr. 

 Godkin, as well as Jack Harvey, had made careful examination of the shore im- 

 mediately after the halt, so careful, indeed, that they could not have overlooked 

 such a large object. Failure to discover it was proof that it had not been there. 

 Pongo explained that the Bushmen, Bechuanas, and other native tribes, some- 

 times used such craft in descending rivers, even for short distances. They rarely 

 constructed them for the single purpose of crossing, and never attempted to employ 

 them against a strong current, since they were too unwieldly for that purpose. 



They were handled as we handle similar structures that is, by means of long 

 poles, pressed against the bottom of the stream on which they were floating. 



It was noticeable that there were no poles on or about the raft, the meaning 

 of which no one for a time guessed. 



