In the evening he made his appearance, coming swiftly down stream. His
brothers rushed to meet him, each eager to see and help to land his
cargo. Ernest and Fritz were quickly running up the bank, with arms
full of plants, branches and fruit, when Fritz handed to Jack a
dripping wet bag which he had brought along partly under water. A
curious pattering noise proceeded from this bag, but they kept the
contents a secret for the present, Jack running with it behind a bush
before peeping in, and I could just hear him exclaim:
`Hullo! I say, what monsters they are! It's enough to make a fellow's
flesh creep to look at them!'
With that he hastily shut up the bag, and put it away safely out of
sight in water.
Securing the cajack, Fritz sprang towards us, his handsome face
radiant with pleasure, as he exhibited a beautiful water-fowl. Its
plumage was rich purple, changing on the back to dark green; the legs,
feet and a mark above the bill, bright red. This lovely bird I
concluded to be the Sultan cock described by Buffon, and as it was
gentle, we gladly received it among our domestic pets.
Fritz gave a stirring account of his exploring trip, having made his
way far up the river, between fertile plains and majestic forests of
lofty trees, where the cries of vast numbers of birds, parrots,
peacocks, guinea-fowls and hundreds unknown to him, quite bewildered
him and made him feel giddy.
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