310 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



assistance, was just in time to prevent his falling 

 back into the water. Supporting him in her arms, 

 she assisted him to the bank, and the cause of his 

 weakness became apparent in a stream of blood that 

 flowed from his leg, severely wounded by the jaws 

 of the alligator. Canondah hastened to Eosa. 



" Your white brother has been bitten by the water- 

 snake," said she, "and you see that Canondah has 

 only her gown." 



Whilst speaking, she untied the silk kerchief from 

 her friend's neck, then stooping down she gathered, 

 with the quickness of thought, a handful of a cer- 

 tain herb, broke a young palma-christi across her 

 knee, and took out the delicate fleshy substance 

 found under the bark of that tree. Returning to the 

 stranger, she filled the wound with the pith, overlaid 

 it with herbs, and bound it with the handkerchief. 

 The whole was the work of an instant, and so rapid 

 and decided were Canondah's movements, that Rosa's 

 neckerchief was tied round the leg of the stranger 

 before the blush that its loss occasioned had faded 

 from the cheek of its owner. 



When the bandaging of the wounded limb was 

 completed to Canondah's satisfaction, she again 

 stepped into the water and carefully examined the 

 boat in which the stranger had arrived ; then return- 

 ing to her patient, she gazed steadfastly at him for 

 a moment, returned a second time to the boat, and 

 finally, approaching Rosa, whispered in her ear a 



