And, in fact, in several places they could distinguish traces, more or less recent, of the passage of a band of men—­here branches broken off the trees, perhaps to mark out the way; there the ashes of a fire, and footprints in clayey spots; but nothing which appeared to belong to a settled encampment.

The engineer had recommended his companions to refrain from hunting.  The reports of the firearms might give the alarm to the convicts, who were, perhaps, roaming through the forest.  Moreover, the hunters would necessarily ramble some distance from the cart, which it was dangerous to leave unguarded.

In the afterpart of the day, when about six miles from Granite House, their progress became much more difficult.  In order to make their way through some thickets, they were obliged to cut down trees.  Before entering such places Harding was careful to send in Top and Jup, who faithfully accomplished their commission, and when the dog and orang returned without giving any warning, there was evidently nothing to fear, either from convicts or wild beasts, two varieties of the animal kingdom, whose ferocious instincts placed them on the same level.  On the evening of the first day the colonists encamped about nine miles from Granite House, on the border of a little stream falling into the Mercy, and of the existence of which they had till then been ignorant; it evidently, however, belonged to the hydiographical system to which the soil owed its astonishing fertility.  The settlers made a hearty meal, for their appetites were sharpened, and measures were then taken that the night might be passed in safety.  If the engineer had had only to deal with wild beasts, jaguars or others, he would have simply lighted fires all around his camp, which would have sufficed for its defense; but the convicts would be rather attracted than terrified by the flames, and it was, therefore, better to be surrounded by the profound darkness of night.

The watch was, however, carefully organized.  Two of the settlers were to watch together, and every two hours it was agreed that they should be relieved by their comrades.  And so, notwithstanding his wish to the contrary, Herbert was exempted from guard.  Pencroft and Gideon Spilett in one party, the engineer and Neb in another, mounted guard in turns over the camp.

The night, however, was but of few hours.  The darkness was due rather to the thickness of the foliage than to the disappearance of the sun.  The silence was scarcely disturbed by the howling of jaguars and the chattering of the monkeys, the latter appearing to particularly irritate Master Jup.  The night passed without incident, and on the next day, the 15th of February, the journey through the forest, tedious rather than difficult, was continued.  This day they could not accomplish more than six miles, for every moment they were obliged to cut a road with their hatchets.

Like true settlers, the colonists spared the largest and most beautiful trees, which would besides have cost immense labor to fell, and the small ones only were sacrificed, but the result was that the road took a very winding direction, and lengthened itself by numerous detours.