292 THE ADVENTURES OF 



I told the Indian not to move. 



" Let him do as he likes," said my companion, " he will only 

 disobey you." 



Half an hour elapsed ; all was profound silence, and we could 

 hear the slightest rustling of the leaves. Suddenly there was 

 the report of a gun, and, five minutes afterwards, we greeted 

 with " bravos " the triumphant " Hiou ! hiou ! " of the Indian, 

 who, streaming with water, came to dry himself at the fire. 



" I was obliged to ford the stream," he said ; " but his lord- 

 ship has got the ball between his two eyes this time.'' 



" You are a brave fellow," responded Sumichrast, shaking 

 hands with him. 



" Now I shall sleep quietly,'' the Indian whispered to Lucien. 



Master Job, Gringalet, Janet, and Verdet, all had their eyes 

 wide open when I awoke at daybreak. Lucien rose just as I 

 was starting for the water's edge and accompanied me. 



An elegant bird with a long curved bill came and settled down 

 on the bank ; the boy remarked the beautiful bronze-coloured 

 plumage of the wader. I informed him it was an ibis. 



" The Egyptian bird which devours serpents ? " 



" One of its kinsfolk," I replied ; " the ibis feeds, generally 

 speaking, on worms, molluscs, and even on sea- weed or aquatic 

 plants. It may, perhaps, sometimes eat water-snakes ; but as to 

 feeding exclusively on reptiles, or destroying them systematically, 

 that 's quite another story." 



We now reached the bivouac, and found my companions up, 

 and I'Encuerado in a state of high excitement over his exploit. 



Having drunk our cofi'ee, we all turned up our sleeves, and set 

 to work to skin our magnificent prizes. This difllicult operation 

 employed us all the morning, and was scarcely finished when I 

 carried our baggage on board the raft, which was soon pushed 

 off from the bank. 



Our way lay through walls of the densest foliage, which often 

 met overhead, while such was the awful stillness of the solitude, 

 that we felt oppressed, and only spoke in a low voice. 



The hour for rest had long passed^ and yet no one proposed 

 to land. The fact was, we wished some more animated resting- 



