doing their duty, and were, moreover, taking the wisest course, the
thoughts of the girls alone in the midst of danger, with one of them down
with fever, tried them terribly, and they longed with a fierce desire for
the excitement of work and of danger to keep them from thinking of it.

"Here, boys, is a ear of Indian corn apiece; eat that and then get to
work."

The frugal meal was soon over, and they then set to work, cutting down,
breaking off, and tearing up large reeds with which to make floats. The
boys had knives, but the others had been stripped of everything they had
at the time of their capture. In about an hour, however, five bundles were
made, each some six feet long and nearly three feet thick. The muskets and
ammunition pouches were fastened on these, and soon after it was quite
dark they entered the water.

"There are no crocodiles, I hope," Dick whispered to Ned.

"Nothing to fear in these large rivers; the chances of meeting one are
very small."

"All right," Dick said. "Of course we've got to risk it. But they're as
bad as sharks; and sharks, as the Yankee said, is pison. Well, here goes."

When the bundles were placed in the water they were lashed side by side
with long trailing creepers which grew abundantly among the rushes; and
they were thus secured from the risk of turning over from the weights on
the top. Upon the raft thus formed their clothes were placed, and then,
side by side, pushing it before them, the party shoved off from shore. In
twenty minutes they touched ground on the other side. They dressed,