boat, inasmuch as the great chance was that the hunters had landed in my cove, as I called it, and would, of course, appropriate the skiff, if she still lay there, to their own purposes. While we were talking lowly among ourselves, Blue Peter, the Mosquito-man, suddenly started up on his knees, and told us to listen. We did so, very intently, and presently heard a rustling and a snapping of dry twigs in the wood, but although we looked with all our eyes, we could see nothing. ‘Tush!’ says Nicky; ‘you are a fool, Peter! and take a wild pig for a Spaniard.’ But the Indian seized his piece, cocked it, and suddenly levelling it, fired, before we could prevent him. ‘Hush!’ quoth he, very earnestly—‘hush! and we will be safe.’ ‘Safe!’ said Nicky. ‘Why, if they are Spaniards, they will be down upon us in a twinkling.’ ‘No,’ replied the Mosquito-man—‘no, no! They shooting all round: think my gun one of their camarados—eh?’ ‘The man is right,’ said Le Picard. ‘But what, in the name of the diable, have you fired at?’ ‘Me show you!’ said Blue Peter; and he crawled into the underwood so circumspectly, that one scarcely heard a rustle, and presently, returning, flung the body of a huge dog among us. ‘A Spanish blood-hound!’ exclaimed Nicky; and we all recognized the fawn colour, with grim, black muzzle, and the great muscular limbs of the animal. But to put all question aside, the creature wore a leather collar, with a brass plate, on which was inscribed the name, ‘Manuel G. Alcansas,’ so it was quite clear, that we were surrounded by a hunting party of the enemy, and that, had it not been for the keen eye of the Indian, who observed the blood-hound, and shot it almost when it was in the act of giving tongue, we should probably have been massacred. We were all tolerably startled, and, after a hurried consultation, agreed that we might as well lie close where we were, as attempt to shift to less dangerous quarters, as by moving we might unwittingly run into the very jaws of death. At last we decided to climb up certain trees, the branches whereof interlaced, Blue Peter having first cut the throat of the dog, and scattered the blood copiously around, so that it would embarrass and destroy the scent of any other hound which might pass that way. He then flung the body up into the branches of a tree. Not long after we heard a voice hallooing loudly, as we supposed for the slain dog, and some other shots were fired at a distance. However, the sun sank and the stars shone down through the leaves, and we still remained unmolested. Making ourselves as comfortable as our position would permit, we munched our supper, of which, however, we could eat but little, for we suffered much from thirst. Fortunately, there was water enough in the keg to afford us a few mouthfuls a piece, but we were afraid to straggle abroad in search of more. With the grey dawn we were afoot, cautiously exploring the locality, and I had much ado to restrain a