Welson’s agency now! Mr. Dow led him to the captain’s room; with a glance at the instrument the nature of his ludicrous position began to dawn. But when his whiskey bottle with diminished contents was produced and proclaimed as the magician of ferocity, his face mantled with the scarlet dismay of shame, which with his ejaculation of “My goodness gracious, what a fool I have been!” filled the cup of mirth to overflowing. * * * * * Since the morning of the 9th the strength of the current had increased so rapidly that the captain feared we were approaching impassable rapids; but at nightfall we entered into a broad expanse of water resembling a lake. Keeping beyond the range of arrows, Mr. Dow and Welson in the punt succeeded in killing sufficient wild fowl for a week’s supply. Shortly after nightfall the dogs with their muzzles primed over the chocks kept up a warning cry. Waantha with a crutch, the gift of the carpenter, hopped about the deck with eyes on the alert, and ears primed for sounds from the water and shore. Through the night his vigilance was sustained, until in the darkness of the morning hours he aroused Jack’s attention to floating objects on the water just visible to his sight, but while peering the whiz of an arrow interpreted the source of danger. The angle of flight enabled him to judge with tolerable correctness the position of the foe who discharged it; the yells which answered the report of his escopeta loaded with buckshot bespoke his success with others if not the one whose intention provoked retaliation. _June 11._—Jack’s morning salute awoke all on board, causing a general muster to learn the source of provocation. While Mr. Dow was taking his coffee in the dawning twilight, Waantha hobbled to the place where he was sitting and after directing his attention to an approaching swan, took one of the dead ducks hanging under the awning and placed it on his head, at the same time imitating the movements of a man decoy. Understanding his meaning, Mr. Dow took his rifle from the rack and sped a bullet with sure aim; the unfortunate bird extended above the surface a black pair of arms, then with a gurgling cry sunk out of sight. Flocks of ducks which had been gradually nearing the steamer on all sides made for the shore without taking wing, showing by the wake the nature of the fowl before the submerged Indians clambered up the banks. The undaunted perseverance of the savages in tracking the steamer, despite of our superior weapons, showed an indomitable determination, proof to danger and disappointment, which detracted greatly from our prospective feelings of safety when exposed to the disadvantages of land travel.