Part 32 (2/2)

”We shall have no difficulty in beating back that rabble!” exclaimed Tony ”We must first pick off the felloith firearht”

I did not feel so confident as my friend The enemy froht, I feared, easily overpower us Their nu a dash at the fort, when a loud shout was raised behind theerly in the direction from whence it ca thenised as the recluse; but the other two I looked at again and again, and at length was convinced that one was Don Jose, and the other his attendant Isoro Don Jose, turning to the natives, addressed theua Geral, which they all probably understood They were sufficiently near for us to hear as said

”My friends,” he exclaimed, ”what is it you require? Do you seek the blood of these white people? What will that benefit you? Listen to Puards with affection the whole Indian race; ould wish to see the all the benefits of our nificent country If you destroy these people, you will but bring down the vengeance of the powerful whites on your heads So them are my friends They have never harmed you They wish you well, I know, and are even now sufferers for the cause of liberty Be advised by me Return to your hohts It will, I know too well by bitter experience, be in vain Trust to ained for you the justice you de together The recluse noent a them, and addressed them earnestly His and Don Jose's words seean to retire through the forest Our friends accompanied them to their canoes, while Arthur and I followed at a distance to watch ould next take place The canoes were launched, and the natives, bidding an affectionate farewell to the recluse, and a respectful one to Puua, leaped into them, and took their departure to the opposite bank of the river We hurried on to meet our friends, and soon afterwards reeted each other warer render service to er,” Don Jose said, ”I was on e number of canoes drawn up on the beach, a few people only re place, and I at once suspected, from what they told me, who it was they were about to attack I instantly landed, and overtook the ents The rest you know”

Our friends then returned to the fort, and all hands at once set to work to complete our vessel Tony alone was somewhat disappointed at so pacific a termination to the affair The additional hands whoreat assistance, as they were all expert boat-builders; and in less than a couple of days our craft was launched, and ready to proceed on her voyage Don Jose and our father had, of course, reatly out of spirits at the turn affairs had taken, and in despair of the establishment of true liberty in his country His affection for my father had induced him to follow us, and he purposed to reht enable him to return

The rainy season was now coreat, the weather was fine At length our new vessel, which we called the _Manatee_, with the canoes of Don Jose and Houlston in coarape, made sail to the eastward

I have not space to describe the voyage Soated a wide expanse of water, where the river's banks were several h narrow channels where the branches of the giant trees almost joined overhead Sometimes we sailed on with a favourable breeze, and at other times had to lower our sails and take to the oars For soht on either side, and here and there long extending sand-banks, in which turtles are wont to lay their eggs As we passed near the shore, vast numbers of wild foere seen on the banks, while the river swar their heads above the surface, again to plunge down as they advanced up the streaeon the shores or showing their ugly snouts above the surface At length a high, flat-topped range of hills appeared on our left hand--the spurs, I believe, of the mountains of Guiana The river was now for some distance fully ten miles in width; so wide, indeed, that it looked more like an inland sea or the ocean itself than a fresh-water streath we entered one end of the Tajapuru, which is a curious natural canal, extending for one hundred miles or reat depth in some places, and one hundred yards in width; but in others so narrow that the tophs of the trees al ere heht, which ing fro on, were soon in athat of the island of Marajo, presenting a narrow blue line far away on our left We passed a nus, bringing produce fro the banks of the many vast rivers which pour their waters into the Atlantic Still, all this tihty A felt the influence of the tide, yet the water, even when it was flowing, was but slightly brackish

At length, entering the sheltered bay of Goajara, ith thankful hearts, saw the city of Para stretching out before us along the shore, and our vessel was soon side the quay Houlston and Tony hurried off to their friends, who came down to welcome us and take us to their house In most places we should have attracted no sh the streets Each of the ladies, as well as Maria and the Indian girl, with two or more parrots and other birds on their shoulders; Ni onToby; while Tony and Houlston had a couple of e

Such a spectacle, however, was too common in Para to attract much attention

Imy journal to a conclusion

My father here resolved to establish a house of business, of which Mr Mallet was to be er, with Arthur as his assistant

Maono and Illora, after re some time with us, considerably, I hope, to their benefit, returned to their people with the intention of showing thee of the true God and his plan of salvation, which they themselves had obtained We were thankful that they consented to leave Duppo and Oria with us The two young Indians uese; and Ellen and Arthur spared no pains in their endeavours to instruct theion

Don Jose and his faithful Isoro returned at length to Ecuador, when peace was oncedistracted province; and the cacique wrote whenever an opportunity occurred for sending a letter down the Amazon Senhor Pimento and his family after a time returned to their estate, and we never failed to pay them a visit ent up the river The rebellion of the natives was at length happily quelled, with less bloodshed than often occurs under similar circumstances

Houlston, Arthur, Tony, and I hty river, and throughout ion e account of our adventures, which were not less interesting than those I have already described

Perhaps Iso

Nimble and Toby lived to the extreme end ofos when she had uarded, I may add, by the two attached canine brethren, Faithful and True

I land, each time on board the _Inca_, still commanded by Captain Byles The first time Sam was on board, but on our return to Para he obtained his discharge, and settled down in that city, where I often had the pleasure of a long talk with hiood part, and God take care of ood t'ings here, and I know hio up dere;” and he pointed to the blue sky, seen through the front of the provision store of which he was the owner

I am thankful to say that the rest of ood part” Arthur had the happiness of being the e of the truth His great as to hted natives of that ion in which we h hitherto opposed by difficulties which have appeared insurmountable, he still cherishes the hope that they may be overcome, and that , be found traversing the hed by nued in opening up to commerce the unmeasured resources of the Brazils I should indeed be thankful if my tale contributes to draw the attention of the Christian philanthropist to the unhappy condition of the nu country which I have attempted to describe