The canoe, which the little men paddled very skillfully, was made from a huge cucumber, and on the end of the boat was painted a queer face. This face was supposed to look like a cat and was meant to frighten the Saboes’ enemies.
When evening came on and it began to grow dark, the wild men stopped on a sandy beach, where they made the two Teenie Weenies understand by motions that they would rest a while.
Several of the Saboes bent over the stem of a tall dandelion, while one of the little men gathered an armful of the soft, fluffy down, which he put on the ground and covered with dry grass and sticks. He then took two sticks and rubbed them together so hard that they grew very hot and soon a spark fell into the dandelion down, which blazed up and quickly set fire to the grass and sticks.
Presently two of the wild men, who had disappeared in the direction of the creek, returned and one of them carried the leg of a frog over his shoulder. The little men cut the leg into great chunks almost as big as a pea and these were soon roasting over the fire.
The Lady of Fashion and the Poet sat on a log beside the fire and although the Lady of Fashion tried hard to keep from crying, every now and then a tear would trickle down her tiny cheek.
“Don’t worry,” said the Poet. “The General will find some way to come to our rescue. He won’t let any harm come to us.”
“I-I-I s-s-s-suppose so,” sobbed the little lady. “But I-I-I haven’t a clean handkerchief and—and—and my hair is a sight!”
In spite of the fact that the Teenie Weenies were terribly worried, the roasting meat smelled wonderfully good and when it was done the prisoners’ hands were untied and they were each given a piece. Both ate a good portion and agreed that it was delicious. They wiped their fingers on a leaf and then the wild men tied their hands again and made them understand that they were to sleep.
All night long the wild men kept up a bright fire. They took turns sleeping and watching their prisoners, but the two Teenie Weenies needed very little watching, for they were quite tired out with the day’s experience and slept most of the night.
At the very first break of day the wild men were awake and after a hurried breakfast of frog ham and a blackberry which one of the men found, they once more pushed out in the canoe and paddled down the stream.