It was not there the difficulty lay.
"The weight, then ?" pursued Caspar interrogatively.
"Precisely that," answered Karl; "I fear they will be too heavy.

Bring one, Ossaroo; and let us have a look at it." The shikaree rose from his seat; and going into the hovel, returned presently--bringing back with him a long shrivelled object, which any one could tell to be a dried eel-skin.
There were many like it inside: for they had carefully preserved the skins of the eels they had caught, induced to do so by a sort of presentiment, that some day they might find a use for them.

In this case their prudent providence was likely to prove of service to them.
Karl took the skin; and, holding it out on the palm of his hand, appeared to make an estimate of its weight.

Caspar watched his brother's countenance, and waited to hear what he would say; but Karl only expressed himself by a doubtful shake of the head, which seemed to show that his opinion was _against_ the eel-skins.
"They might be made much lighter, I fancy," suggested Caspar: "scraping would do a deal for them; and by the way, why would not boiling make them light enough?
It would take all the fatty, oily substance out of them." "There's something in what you say," rejoined Karl, apparently impressed by the last suggestion.

"Boiling might render them a good deal lighter.
We can easily try it." As Karl said this, he proceeded to the boiling spring, and plunged the eel-skin under the water.