"Yes, and we can take a lot of mealeys with us," added Wilmore. "They will go into a small compass and last a long time. Well, Nick, I don't mind, if I go in for this with you. So far as I can see, we may wait here, day after day, for the next twelvemonth; and I'd rather take my chance of being devoured alive by the wild beasts, or knocked on the head by the savages, than have to go through that. When do you propose that we should make a start?" "Well, we must first of all lay in a store of mealeys--I always meant to take them: and I should like to get out of De Walden the nearest way to the banks of the Gariep. I've an idea that if we could reach that, we might make another raft like that on which we made our voyage to the island, and float on it till we came to the place where we were carried away by the flood. We should both know that again." "That's not a bad idea, Nick. We should find plenty to eat as we went along. We could store up a lot of figs, or dates or bananas on the raft--enough to last us a week, I dare say; and the current runs pretty swift, I expect. Only how about the falls at different parts of the river? I've heard there are several places where there are rapids, or actual cascades." "I don't think there are between this and the place I was speaking of. Anyhow we must be on the look out, and if we see any reason to think we are getting near one, we must run ashore. Of course there must be some risk, you know." "Of course. Well, I am game to go, and I think we had better make a start as soon as possible. Suppose we look up the mealeys to-morrow and the next day--Tuesday, that is, and Wednesday, and set out on Thursday." "We had better set out on Wednesday night. There is a full moon then, which will light us as well as broad day would. And it would give us a start of ten hours or so before we were missed." "Very good. I have no objection. It is the pleasantest time for travelling during the warm weather."