him, or that he will endeavor to make peace with them by offering
to throw us over, and to join with them against us."

"Then, I should say, Doctor, that the best thing would be to hang
the ruffian up at once."

"Well, yes, that might be a good plan, Parkhurst," the doctor said
with a smile, "and might save us a good deal of trouble; but, you
see, we have come up here at his invitation; we have just been eating
his food and drinking his liquor, and it would scarcely place us
in a favorable position in the eyes of the natives in general were
we to commence our alliance with him by hanging him."

Harry laughed. "No, I suppose not, Doctor. Still, what are we to
do?"

"We must wait, lad. We are here to ascertain the precise situation,
and it will be some time before that will be cleared up. Certainly
for the present there will be nothing for us to do but to keep quiet
and see how matters turn out, and to get through the time as best
we may. We shall have fine opportunities for shooting and botanizing,
for whatever the chief's designs may be, it is certain that at
present he will do all in his power to please us. The captain today,
at my suggestion, said that, in order to keep the men in good
health, it would be desirable that they should have every opportunity
of going ashore, and that the officers should make expeditions in
search of game into the interior. He promised at once to afford us
every facility, and to provide us with guides and beaters."

The next day permission was granted to several of the officers