Rob drew a long breath, and Joe shuddered.

"Well," said Shaddy quietly, "that's just how you take it, young gentlemen. Seems so horrible because it was a big serpent. If it had been a worm six inches long you wouldn't have thought anything of it. Look at my four chaps there: they don't take any notice—don't seem horrid to them. You'll get used to it."

"Impossible!" said Brazier.

"Oh! I don't know, sir," continued Shaddy. "You've come out where you wanted to, in the wildest wilds, where the beasts have it all their own way, and they do as they always do, go on eating one another up. Why, I've noticed that it isn't only the birds, beasts, and fishes, but even the trees out here in the forest do just the same."

"Nonsense!" cried Rob merrily. "Eat one another?"

"Yes, sir; that's it, rum as it sounds to you. I'll tell you how it is. A great ball full of nuts tumbles down from one of the top branches of a tree, when it's ripe, bang on to the hard ground, splits, and the nuts fly out all round, right amongst the plants and rotten leaves. After a bit the nuts begin to swell; then a shoot comes out, and another out of it. Then one shoot goes down into the ground to make roots, and the other goes up to make a tree. They're all doing the same thing, but one of 'em happens to have fallen in the place where there's the best soil, and he grows bigger and stronger than the others, and soon begins to smother them by pushing his branches and leaves over them. Then they get spindly and weak, and worse and worse, because the big one shoves his roots among them too; and at last they wither and droop, and die, and rot, and the big strong one regularly eats up with his roots all the stuff of which they were made; and in a few years, instead of there being thirty or forty young trees, there's only one, and it gets big."

"Why, Naylor, you are quite a philosopher!" said Brazier, smiling.

"Am I, sir? Didn't know it; but a man like me couldn't be out in the woods always without seeing that. Why, you'd think, with such thousands of trees always falling and rotting away, that the ground would be feet deep in leaf mould and decayed wood; but if you go right in the forest you'll find how the roots eat it up as fast as it's made."

"But what about these big trunks?" said Joe, pointing to the fallen trees.

"Them? Well, they're going into earth as fast as they can, and in a few years there'll be nothing of 'em left. Why, look at that one; it's as if it were burning away now," he continued, pointing to the hole through which Rob had fallen: "that's nature at work making the tree, now it's dead, turn into useful stuff for the others to feed on."

"Yes," said Brazier, as he broke out a piece of the luminous touchwood, which gleamed in the darkness when it was screened from the fire: "that's a kind of phosphoric fungus, boys."

"Looks as if it would burn one's fingers," said Joe, handling the beautiful piece of rotten, glowing wood.

"Yes; and so do other things out here," said Shaddy. "There's plenty of what I call cold fire; but you'll soon see enough of that."

Shaddy ceased speaking, for at that moment a strange, thrilling sound came from the depths of the forest, not more, apparently, than a hundred yards away.

Its effect was electrical.

The half-bred natives who formed Shaddy's crew of boatmen had watched the encounters with the two serpents in the most unconcerned way, while the weird chorus of sounds from the depths of the forest, with yells, howls, and cries of dangerous beasts, was so much a matter of course that they did not turn their heads even at the nearest roar, trusting, as they did, implicitly in the security afforded them by the fire. But now, as this strange sound rang out, silencing the chorus of cries, they leaped up as one man, and made for the boat, hauling on the rope and scrambling in as fast as possible.

Rob's first impulse was to follow suit, especially as Giovanni took a few hurried steps, and tripping over a little bush, fell headlong. But seeing that Shaddy stood fast, and that Brazier cocked his piece, he stopped where he was, though his heart throbbed heavily, and his breath came as if there were some strange oppression at his chest.

"What's that?" whispered Brazier, as the thrilling sound died away, leaving the impression behind that some huge creature must be approaching in a threatening manner, for a curious rustling followed the cry.

"Well, sir," said Shaddy, taking off his cap, and giving his head a rub as if to brighten his brain, "that's what I want to know."

"You don't know?"

"No, sir," said the man, coolly; "I know pretty well every noise as is to be heard out here but that one, and it downright puzzles me. First time I heard it I was sitting by my fire cooking my dinner—a fat, young turkey I'd shot—and I ups and runs as hard as ever I could, and did not stop till I could go no further. Ah! I rec'lect it now, how hungry and faint I was, for I dursen't go back, and I dessay whatever the beast was who made that row ate my turkey. Nex' time I heard it I didn't run. I was cooking ducks then, and I says to myself, 'I'll take the ducks,' and I did, and walked off as fast as I could to my boat."

"And you did not see it?"

"No, sir. P'r'aps we shall this time; I hope so, for I want to know. Third time never fails, so if you don't mind we'll all be ready with our guns and wait for him. May be something interesting to a nat'ral hist'ry gent like you, and we may get his head and skin for you to take home to the Bri'sh Museum. What do you say?"

"Well," said Brazier, drily, "self-preservation's the first law of nature. I do not want to show the white feather, but really I think we had better do as the men have done—get on board and wait for our enemy there. What do you say, lads!"

"Decidedly, yes," cried both eagerly.

"But we don't know as it is our enemy yet, sir," replied Shaddy, thoughtfully. "Hah! hark at that!"

They needed no telling, for all shivered slightly, as another cry, very different from the last, rang out from the forest—half roar, half howl, of a most appalling nature.

"Here, let's get on board," said Brazier.

"Not for that, sir," cried Shaddy, with one of his curiously harsh laughs. "Why, that's only one of them big howling monkeys who would go off among the branches twisting his tail, and scared 'most into fits, if you looked at him."

"A monkey!" cried Rob. "Are you sure?"

"Oh, yes, I'm sure enough 'bout that, gentlemen. It's the other thing that puzzles me."

They ceased speaking and stood watchfully waiting; but after a retrograde movement toward the boat, so as to be able to retreat at any moment. The cry was not repeated, though, and the feeling of awe began to die off, but only to return on Shaddy continuing,—

"There's a something there, or else that there howler wouldn't have hollered once and then gone off. The lions and tigers, too, have slinked away. That's a lion—puma you call him—ever so far off; and, I can hear a couple of tigers quite faint-like; but all the things near here have stopped calling, and that shows there's that thing prowling about."

"But the men?" whispered Rob. "They ran away as if they knew what it was."

"Tchah! They don't know. Their heads are full of bogies. Soon as they hear a noise, and can't tell what it is, they say it's an evil spirit or a goblin or ghost. Babies they are. Why, if I was to go near a lot of natives in the dark, hide myself, and let go with Scotch bagpipes, they'd run for miles and never come nigh that part of the forest again."

All at once the chorus in the forest was resumed, with so much force that it sounded as if the various creatures had been holding their noises back and were now trying hard to make up for the previous check.

That was Rob's opinion, and he gave it in a whisper to his companion.

"Then, it's gone," said Joe. "I say, didn't you feel scared?"

"Horribly."

"Then I'm not such a coward after all. I felt as if I must run."

"So you did when the serpent came."

"Well, isn't it enough to make one? You English fellows have the credit of being so brave that you will face anything without being frightened; but I believe you are frightened all the same."

"Of course we are," said Rob, "only Englishmen will never own they are frightened, even to themselves, and that's why they face anything."

"Then you are not an Englishman?" said Joe.

"No, only an English boy," said Rob, laughing. "I say, though, never mind about bragging. I'm precious glad, whatever it was, that it has gone."

"I remember, now, my father telling me about his hearing some horrible noise in the Grand Chaco one night when the schooner was at anchor close in shore. He said it gave him quite a chill; but I didn't take any more notice of it then. It must have been one of those things."

"No doubt," said Brazier, who had overheard his words; "but there, our adventure is over for this time, and it will be something to think about in the future."

"Perhaps we shall see it yet," said Rob.

"I hope not," cried Joe uneasily.

"Gone, Naylor?" continued Brazier.

"Yes, sir, I think so."

"Good job too. Why, Naylor, my man, I never thought you were going to bring us to such a savage, dangerous place as this."

"What? Come, sir, I like that! Says to me, you did, 'I want you to guide me to some part of the country where I can enter the prime forest.'"

"Primeval," said Brazier, correctively.

"That's right, sir. 'Where,' you says, 'the foot of man has never trod, and I may see Natur' just as she is, untouched, unaltered by any one. Do you know such a place?' Them was your very words, and Master Rob heered you."

"Quite true, my man."

"And I says to you, 'I knows the spot as'll just suit you. Trust to me,' I says, 'and I'll take you there, where you may see birds, beasts, and fishes, and as many o' them flowers'—orkards you called 'em—'as grows on trees, as you like;' and now here you are, sir, and you grumble."

"Not a bit, Naylor."

"But, begging your pardon, sir, you do; and I appeals to Master Rob whether I arn't done my dooty."

"No need to appeal to Rob, Naylor, for I do not grumble. You have done splendidly for me. Why, man, I am delighted; but you must not be surprised at my feeling startled when anacondas come to supper, and we are frightened out of our wits by cries that impress even you."

"Then you are satisfied, sir?"

"More than satisfied."

"And you don't want to go back?"

"Of course not. What do you say, Rob? Shall we return?"

"Oh no—not on any account; only let's keep more in the boat."

"Yes, I think we are safer there," said Brazier. "But our friend, or enemy, seems to have gone."

"Wait a bit, sir," replied Shaddy; "and glad I am that you're satisfied. Let me listen awhile."

They were silent, and stood listening as well, and watching the weird effects produced by the fire, as from time to time one of the pieces of wood which the men had planted round the blaze in the shape of a cone fell in, sending up a whirl of flame and glittering sparks high in air, lighting up the trees and making them seem to wave with the dancing flames. The wall of forest across the river, too, appeared to be peopled with strange shadows, and the effect was more strange as the fire approached nearer to the huge butt of the largest tree, throwing up its jagged roots against the dazzling light, so that it was as if so many gigantic stag-horns had been planted at a furnace mouth.

And all the while the fiddling, piping, strumming and hooting, with screech, yell and howl, went on in the curious chorus, for they were indeed deep now in one of Nature's fastnesses, where the teeming life had remained untouched by man.

"Well," said Brazier at last to the guide, whose figure, seen by the light of the fire, looked as wild as the surroundings, "had we not better get on board? You can hear nothing through that din."

"Oh yes, I can, sir," replied Shaddy. "I've got so used to it o' nights that I can pick out any sound I like from the rest. But we may as well turn in. The fire will burn till morning, and even if it wouldn't, those chaps of mine wouldn't go ashore again to-night; and I certainly don't feel disposed to go and mend the fire myself, for fear of getting something on my shoulder I don't understand."

"It has gone, though," said Brazier.

"Something moving there," whispered Rob, pointing to the gilded mass of foliage beyond and to the left of the fire.

"Eh! where?" cried Shaddy. "Nay, only the fire making it look as if the trees were waving. Nothing there, my lad. Whatever it is, it has slinked off into the forest again. The fire drew it this way, I suppose. There, we've heard the last of him for to-night. Sings well when he do oblige."

"I should have liked to hear the cry once more, though," said Brazier; and as the words left his lips the horrible noise rang out, apparently from behind the fire, and without hesitation the little party hurried on board the boat.



CHAPTER TWELVE.

SHADDY'S REMORSE.

That last movement was not performed without difficulty, for at this fresh alarm, urged by a desire for self-preservation, the men had thrust the boat away from the bank, and were actually in the act of unfastening the mooring rope, when Rob shouted to Shaddy.

"What!" he roared, running to the other end where it was fast to a branch, and then yelling out such a furious tirade of words in their own tongue that the men shrank back, and the boat was drawn close in among the boughs that were worn sharp by the action of the stream.

"Lucky for them," growled Shaddy, as he held the boat's gunwale for the others to get on board, while the singular silence which had followed the first cry of the beast was again maintained. "I never did break a man's neck yet, Master Rob," he whispered, as they took their places on board, "and I never mean to if I can help it; but if those fellows had run off and left us in the lurch I'd have gone as far as I could without doing it quite."

"First catch your hare," whispered back Rob, who felt better now he was safe on board, with the boat gliding outward to the full length of the mooring line.

"Eh! what hare? No hares about here," said Shaddy.

"I mean, how would you have managed to punish the men if they had gone off and left us here?"

"I never thought of that," said Shaddy, shaking his head; and then they all sat in the boat listening, and thinking that it was a good thing they had had enough supper before the interruption.

There was no fresh alarm for awhile. The birds, insects, quadrupeds, and reptiles resumed their performances, the boatmen settled down to sleep, and at last, after watching the fire sinking, rising up as some piece of wood fell in, and then blazing brightly just beyond the great root, the hole from which this had been wrenched having been selected by the crew of the boat as an excellent place for cooking, Rob suddenly fell asleep, to dream of huge boa constrictors and anacondas twisting themselves up into knots which they could not untie.

It only seemed to be a few minutes since Rob had lain down, when he awoke with a start to gaze about him, wondering where he was and why the awning looked so light. Then coming to the conclusion that it was sunrise, and being still weary and drowsy, he was about to close his eyes again and follow the example of those about him, when he became conscious of a peculiar odour and a choking smell of burning.

This completely aroused him, and hurriedly creeping from beneath the awning without awakening his companions, he found that the boatmen and Shaddy were fast asleep and a line of fire was rapidly approaching them from the shore; not with any rush of flame, but in a curious sputtering, smouldering way, as the touchwood of which the huge trunk, to which they were tethered, was composed rapidly burned away.

It was all plain enough: the root had caught fire at last from the intense heat so near and gradually started the rest, so that as Rob gazed shoreward there was a dull incandescent trunk where the previous night there had been one long line of beautiful orchids and epiphytic plants.

But there was no time to waste. Waking Shaddy with a sharp slap on the shoulder, that worthy started up, saw the mischief pointed out, and shouting, "Only shut my eye because the fire made it ache," he took up a boat-hook, went right forward, trampling on the boatmen in his eagerness, and, hauling on the line, drew the boat close up to the glowing trunk, hitching on to one of the neighbouring branches. It was only just in time, for the rope gave way, burned through as he got hold, and the smouldering end dropped into the water, giving a hiss like a serpent as the glowing end was quenched.

Brazier and Giovanni were aroused before this, and were fully alive to the peril which had been averted by Rob's opportune awakening.

"Why," cried Brazier, "we should have been drifting down the stream, and been carried miles, and in all probability capsized."

Shaddy made no reply for the moment, but busied himself in altering the position of the boat before letting go, and then hooking the bough of another of the trees, one which did not communicate with the fire, and to this he made fast before rising up in the boat, taking off his cap, and dashing it down.

"Yes," he said harshly, "right, sir. We should have been carried right down the stream—Be off, you brute!"

This was to an alligator which was approaching the boat with the protuberances above its eyes just visible, and as he uttered the adjuration he made a stroke with the hitcher harpoon fashion, struck the reptile full on its tough hide, and there was a swirl, a rush, and a tremendous splash of water full in Shaddy's face as the creature struck the surface with its tail and then disappeared.

"Thank ye," growled Shaddy, wiping his face; "but you got the worst of it, mate. As aforesaid, maybe, Mr Brazier, sir, we should ha' been carried right down the stream, and run on a sharp root or trunk as would ha' drove a hole through the boat or capsized us, and there'd ha' been the end."

"What could you have been thinking of, Naylor?" cried Brazier angrily; while Rob looked pityingly and feeling sorry for the staunch, brave man, who stood there abashed by his position.

"Warn't thinking at all, sir," he growled. "Only ought to ha' been. There, don't make it worse, sir, by bullying me. You trusted me, and I thought I was fit to trust, but there's the vanity o' man's natur'. I arn't fit to trust, so I'd take it kindly if you'd knock me overboard; but you'd better knock my stoopid head off first to save pain."

This was all spoken with the most utter seriousness, and as Shaddy finished he slowly laid down the boat-hook and looked full in Brazier's eyes, with the result that Rob burst into a roar of laughter. Joe followed suit, and after an attempt to master himself and frown Brazier joined in, the mirth increasing as Shaddy said sternly,—

"Oh, it arn't nothing to laugh at! If Master Rob there hadn't woke up before morning, the 'gators and pirani, without counting the other critters, would have been having a treat. I tell you I'm ashamed of myself, and the sooner an end's made of me the better. Why, you ought to do it, sir, in self-defence."

"How near are we to morning?" said Brazier.

"'Tis morning now, sir. Sun'll be up in less an half an hour. No dawn here."

"Then we had better have breakfast at once, and start, for this is anything but a pleasant spot."

"Ain't you going to knock me overboard, sir?" said Shaddy.

"No."

"Well, ain't you going to knock me down?"

"No; I'm not going to knock you down either, my good fellow. You've made a mistake. Over-tired, I suppose, and you dropped asleep. It was terribly neglectful of you, but I hope and trust that such an error may not be made again."

"What?"

"Surely I need not repeat my words. You were overcome by fatigue and slept. I ask you for all our sakes to be more careful in the future."

"Here, I say, Master Rob," cried Shaddy huskily, and he gave his eyes a rub, "am I still asleep?"

"No, Shaddy, wide awake, and listening to Mr Brazier."

"Well, then, it's a rum 'un. But, I say, look here, sir; you're never going to trust me again?"

"I am going to treat you with full confidence, just as I trusted you before, Naylor," replied Brazier.

"Master Rob's asleep too," growled the man. "It can't be true. Here, I say, Mr Jovanny, give a look at me and tell me, am I awake or no?"

"Awake, of course," said Joe.

"Then all I can say is, Mr Brazier, sir," said the guide, "you've made me ten times more ashamed of myself than I was before, and that hurt I can't bear it like."

"Say no more about it, man," said Brazier. "There, it's all over now. Let's have breakfast, and then start for a long day's collecting."

"Not say no more about it?" cried Shaddy.

"Not a word. It is all past and forgotten."

"Can't be," growled Shaddy.

"It shall be," said Brazier, turning to get his gun from under the canvas cabin.

"One moment—look here, sir," said Shaddy; "do you mean to say that you forgive me?"

"Yes, of course."

"And I am not to say another word?"

"No."

"Then I'll think," said Shaddy, "and punish myself that way, Master Rob. I'll always think about it at night when I'm on the watch. It ain't likely that I shall ever go to sleep again on dooty with idees like that on my brain."

"No more talking; breakfast at once," cried Brazier, issuing from the cabin.

"Right, sir," said Shaddy, working the boat in close to the bank. "Quick, my lads, and get that fire well alight."

The men were set ashore just as the sun rose and flooded everything with light, while a quarter of an hour later, as Brazier was patiently watching one of the tunnel-like openings opposite in the hope of seeing a deer come down to drink and make them a good meal or two for a couple of days, Shaddy drew Rob's attention to the black-looking forms of several alligators floating about a few feet below.

"The brutes!" said the lad. "Just like efts in an aquarium at home."

"Only a little bigger, my lad. I say, there he is—one of 'em."

He pointed down through the clear water, illumined now by the sun so that the bottom was visible, and there coiled-up and apparently asleep lay either the anaconda of the previous night or one of its relatives, perfectly motionless and heedless of the boat, which floated like a black shadow over its head.

"Might kill it if we had what sailors call the grains to harpoon him with," said Shaddy; "but I don't know, he'd be an ugly customer to tackle. I say, look out, sir," he whispered, "yonder across the river."

Brazier glanced a little to his left, and directly after his piece rang out with a loud report and a deer fell dead—not having moved an inch, when the boat was with difficulty rowed across, and the welcome addition to their larder secured amidst the chattering of monkeys and the screaming of great macaws.

An hour later breakfast was at an end, the boat loosened from the moorings where the anaconda still lay asleep in ten feet of water, and they glided down the stream to commence another adventurous day, amidst scenery which grew more wondrously beautiful with every mile.



CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

THE LILY LAGOON.

"Like it, gentlemen? That's right. On'y you are sure—quite sure?"

"Oh yes, we're sure enough!" replied Rob, as he watched the endless scenes of beautiful objects they passed. "It's glorious."

"Don't find it too hot, I s'pose, sir?"

"Oh, it's hot enough," interposed Giovanni; "but we don't mind, do we, Rob?"

"Not a bit. What fruit's that?"

"Which?" said Shaddy.

"That, on that tree, high up, swinging in the wind—the dark brown thing, like a great nut with a long stalk."

He pointed to the object which had taken his attention.

"G'long with yer," growled Shaddy. "I thought you was in arnest."

"So I am," cried Rob, looking at the man wonderingly. "I mean that one. It isn't a cocoa-nut, because the tree is different, and I know that cocoanuts grow on a kind of palm."

"And that kind o' nut don't, eh?" said Shaddy, puckering his face. "Why you are laughing at me."

"Nonsense! I am not!" cried Rob. "You don't see the fruit I mean. There, on that tallest tree with the great branch sticking out and hanging over the others. There now! can you see?"

"No," said Shaddy grimly; "it's gone."

"Yes; how curious that it should drop just at that moment. I saw it go down among the trees. You did see it?"

"Oh yes. I see it plain enough."

"And you don't know what fruit it was?"

"Warn't a fruit at all, sir."

"What then? some kind of nut?"

"No, sir; warn't nut at all. It was a nut-cracker."

Rob looked at him seriously.

"Who's joking now?" he said.

"Not me, sir," replied Shaddy. "That was a nut-cracker sure enough."

"Is that the native name?"

Joe burst into a roar of laughter, and Rob coloured, for there was a feeling of annoyance rising within him at being the butt of the others' mirth.

"Have I said something very stupid?" he asked.

"Why, couldn't you see?" cried Joe eagerly. "It was a monkey."

"I did not see any monkey," said Rob coldly. "I was talking about that great brown husky-looking fruit, like a cocoa-nut hanging by a long stalk in that tree. Look! there are two more lower down!" he cried eagerly, as the boat glided round a bend into a long reach, two of the men being at the oars backing water a little from time to time with a gentle dip, so as to keep the boat's head straight and check her to enable Brazier to scan the banks through the little binocular glass he carried, and be rowed close in when he wished to obtain specimens.

"Yes: there's two more lower down," said Shaddy, with his face puckered up like the shell of a walnut, and then Rob's mouth expanded into a grin as wide as that of Joe's, and he laughed heartily.

"Well," he cried, "that is comic, and no mistake. I really thought it was some kind of fruit. It was a monkey."

"You ain't the first as made that mistake, Mr Rob, sir," said Shaddy. "You see, they just take a turn with their tails round a branch, draws their legs up close, and cuddles them with their long arms round 'em, and then they looks just like the hucks of a cocoa-nut."

"Like the what?" cried Rob.

"Hucks of a cocoa-nut."

"Oh—husk."

"You may call it 'husk' if you like, sir: I calls it 'hucks.' Then they hangs head downwards, and goes to sleep like that, I believe. Wonderful thing a monkey's tail is. Why I've seen the young ones hold on to their mother by giving it a turn round the old girl's neck. They're all like that out here. Ring-tail monkeys we call 'em."

While they were talking the last two monkeys had swung themselves to and fro, and then lowered themselves down among the branches to get close to the river and watch the boat, like a couple of tiny savages stricken with wonder at the coming of the strange white men, and chattering away to each other their comments on all they saw.

The progress made was very slow, for the boat was constantly being anchored, so to speak, by the men rowing in and holding on by the hanging boughs of trees, while Brazier cut and hacked off bulb and blossom in what, with glowing face, he declared to be a perfect naturalist's paradise.

They had been floating down a few miles when, right ahead, the stream seemed to end, the way being blocked entirely by huge trees, and as they drew nearer there appeared to be a repetition of the entrance from the great river, where they passed along through the dark tunnel overhung by trees.

"Oh, it's all right, sir," said Shaddy, on being appealed to. "Dessay we shall find a way on."

"Of course," replied Brazier, who only had eyes for the plants he was collecting and hardly looked up; "this great body of water must go somewhere."

"Look sharp round to the left!" cried Rob, standing up in the boat as they glided round a bend where the stream nearly turned upon itself and then back again, forming a complete S; and as they moved round the second bend Rob uttered a shout of delight, for the banks receded on either hand, so that they appeared to have glided into a wide opening about a mile long, floored with dark green dotted with silver, through which in a sinuous manner the river wound. A minute later, though, the two lads saw that the river really expanded into a lake, the stream in its rapid course keeping a passage open, the rest of the water being densely covered with the huge, circular leaves of a gigantic water-lily, whose silvery blossoms peered up among the dark green leaves.

"Look at the jacanas!" cried Joe, pointing to a number of singular-looking birds like long-necked and legged moorhens, but provided with exaggerated toes, these being of such a length that they easily supported their owners as they walked about or ran on the floating leaves.

"Wouldn't be a bad place for a camp, sir," suggested Shaddy, when they were about half-way along the lake, and he pointed to a spot on their left where the trees stood back, leaving a grassy expanse not unlike the one at which they had first halted, only of far greater extent.

"Yes, excellent," replied Brazier; "but can we get there?"

"Oh yes, sir; I'll soon make a way through the leaves."

Shaddy seized a pole, said a few words to his men, and stepped right to the front of the boat, where he stood thrusting back the vegetation as it collected about the bows, while the men rowed hard forcing the boat onward, the huge leaves being sent to right and left and others passing right under the keel, but all floating back to their former positions, so that as Rob looked back the jacanas were again running over the vegetation which had re-covered the little channel the boat had made.

In all probability a vessel had never entered that lake before, and it caused so little alarm that great fish, which had been sheltering themselves beneath the dark green disk-like leaves, lazily issued from their lurking places to stare so stupidly, often even with their back fins out of water, that the boys had no difficulty in startling a few of them into a knowledge of their danger by gently placing a hand under and hoisting them suddenly into the boat, where they displayed their alarm by leaping vigorously and beating the fragile bottom with their tails.

"Better hold hard, young gentlemen!" cried Shaddy, as soon as half a dozen were caught; "them fish won't keep, and we can easily catch more. Ah! Why, Mr Joe, sir, I did think you knowed better."

This was to Joe, who had leaned over as far as he could to try and perform the same feat upon a long dark object floating half hidden by a leaf, but was met by a quick rush and a shower of water as the creature twisted itself round and dived down.

"It was only a little one, Shaddy," said Joe.

"Little dogs have sharp teeth, my lad; and them small 'gators can bite like fury. You take my advice, and don't do it again."

"Hah!" cried Brazier as he leaped ashore, "this is glorious. We can make quite a collection here. See that the boat is fast, Naylor."

This was soon done, and the men were about to light a fire, but Brazier checked them, preferring to make a little expedition for exploration purposes all about their new camping place, partly to see if there were noxious beasts at hand, partly to try and secure a few natural history specimens, especially birds, which abounded, before the noise and the fire should drive them away.

"Hand out the guns and cartridge bags," said Brazier; and this being done the men were left in charge of the boat, and the little party started, keeping close up to the trees on their left with the intention of going all round the opening and so returning by the right side to the boat.

The walking was hard, for the earth was tangled with dense growth so that they progressed very slowly, while the heat was intense; but that passed unnoticed in the excitement caused by the novel objects which met their eyes at every step—flowers, such as Rob had never before seen, looking up as if asking to be plucked; butterflies which flapped about so lazily that they could, he felt, easily be caught, only without net or appliances it seemed wanton destruction to capture and mutilate such gorgeously painted objects. There were others too, resembling the hawk-moths in shape, with thick body and long pointed wing, which were constantly being taken for humming-birds, so rapid was their darting flight. As for these latter, they flashed about them here, there, and everywhere, now glittering in the sunshine, now looking dull and plum-coloured as they hovered on hazy wings before the long trumpet blossoms of some convolvulus-like flower whose twiny stems trailed over or wrapped the lower growth.

Beetles, too, were abundant in every sun-scorched spot or on the bare trunks of the trees, though bare places were rare, for the trees were clothed densely with moss and orchid.

Rob's fingers itched as bird after bird flew up, and he longed to bring them down for specimens, whose brilliant colours he could gloat over. Now it was a huge scarlet-and-blue macaw, now one painted by Nature's hand scarlet, yellow, and green, which flew off with its long tail feathers spread, uttering discordant shrieks, and startling the smaller parrots from the trees which they were stripping of their fruit.

But Brazier had told him not to fire at the smaller birds, as it was a necessity to keep their larder supplied with substantial food, the four boatmen and Shaddy being pretty good trencher-men, and making the deer meat disappear even without the aid of trenchers.

"We ought to find a deer here surely," said Brazier, when they were about half-way round.

"Well, I don't know, sir," replied their guide; "deer ain't like human beings, ready to go walking in the hot sunshine in the middle of the day. They like to lie up in the shade all through the sunny time, and feed in the morning and evening."

"Then you think we shall not see a deer?"

"Can't say, sir; but if a turkey goes up I should make sure of him at once. So I should if we came upon a carpincho, for this is a likely place for one of them."

"But are they good eating?"

"Capital, sir. Now, look at that."

He faced round at a loud, fluttering sound, and guns were raised, but the great bird which had taken flight was far out of shot, and winging its way higher and higher, so as to fly over the tops of the trees and away into the forest.

"Fine great turkey that, sir," said Shaddy.

"Yes: can we follow it?"

Shaddy shook his head.

"Far more sensible for us to walk straight away, sir, through the open where that turkey got up: we might start another or two."

"But the going is so laborious," pleaded Brazier; "some of us would be having sunstroke. No, let's keep on, we may put up something yet."

"And try for the turkeys toward sundown, sir?"

"Yes. Come on," said Brazier; "we had better get slowly back now to the boat. It is too hot."

He stood wiping the perspiration from his forehead as he spoke, and then, with Shaddy by his side carrying a spare gun, went on along by the edge of the forest, Rob and Joe following some distance behind.

"I might as well have shot some of those beautiful toucans," said Rob; "I could have skinned them, and they would be delightful to bring out at home and show people, and remind one of this place in years to come."

"Yes, we shouldn't have scared away much game," replied Joe. "What's that they can see?"

For Shaddy was holding up his hand to stop them, and Brazier, who had forgotten all about being languid and weary in the hot sunshine, was hurrying forward bending down and making for one of several clumps of bushes about half-way between them and the river.

Rob noted that clump particularly, for it was scarlet with the blossoms of a magnificent passion-flower, whose steins trailed all over it, tangling it into a mass of flame colour, looking hot in the sunshine, which made the air quiver as if in motion.

The lads stopped at Shaddy's signal and looked intently, but they could see no sign of any game, and, rightly concluding that the object of Brazier's movement must be hidden from them at the edge of the forest, they crouched down and waited for fully five minutes.

"Here, I'm sick of this," whispered Rob at last; and he rose from his uncomfortable position.

"So am I," said Joe, straightening himself. "Hullo! Where's old Shaddy?"

"Lying down and having a nap, I expect," replied Rob. "I can't see him nor Mr Brazier neither. Shall we go on."

"No: let's wait a bit. They may be seeing a chance for something good at supper-time."

They waited another five minutes, ten minutes, and had at last determined to go on, when Brazier's piece was heard, the sharp report coming from about three hundred yards farther on toward the river.

"There's Shaddy running," cried Joe; and they saw now where he had been crawling, far beyond the scarlet passion-flower, from whose shelter Mr Brazier had evidently made a long stalk till he was close to the object of his search, a bird or animal, which had probably fallen, from the haste being made to reach the spot.

"Let's make haste," cried Joe, pushing forward.

"No, thank you; I'm too tired," said Rob. "I was not so fagged before, but after lying down there so long I'm as stiff as can be. Oh, bother! something stung me. It's one of those ants. Brush them off."

Joe performed the kindly duty, and they were on the way to join the others, when there was a rustling sound just in front, and the young Italian started back.

"A snake—a snake!" he panted, as he caught Rob's arm. "Shoot!"

"Well, you shoot too," said the latter rather sharply, for Joe seemed to have forgotten that he had a gun in his hand.

But Rob could not boast, for as the dry grass and scrubby growth in front moved he raised his piece, and drew first one trigger, then the other: there was no result—he had forgotten to cock.

Lowering the gun he rapidly performed this necessary operation, and was about to raise it again and wait, for in the hurry and excitement he had been about to obey his companion and deliver a chance shot almost at random amongst the moving grass—so great was the horror inspired by the very name of one of the reptiles which haunted the moist swamps near the riverside.

But, to the surprise of both, it was no huge anaconda which had been worming its way toward them; for at the sound of the lock—click, click—a beautiful warm-grey creature bounded lithely out almost to where they stood, and there paused, watching them and waving its long black tail.

"A lion," whispered Joe, who remained as if paralysed by the sudden bound of the cat-like creature, which stood as high as a mastiff dog, but beautifully soft-looking and rounded in its form, its ears erect, eyes dilated, and motionless, all but that long writhing tail.

In those few moments Rob's powers of observation seemed as if they were abnormally sharpened, and as he noted the soft hairs toward the end of the tail erected and then laid down, and again erected, making it look thick and soft, he noted too that the muzzle was furnished with long cat-like whiskers, and the head was round, soft, and anything but cruel and fierce of aspect.

"Shoot—shoot!" whispered Joe: "the ball—not the small shot."

But Rob did not stir; he merely stood with the muzzle of the gun presented toward the beast, and did not raise it to his shoulder. Not that he was stupefied by the peril of his position, but held back by the non-menacing aspect of the puma. Had there been a display of its fangs or an attempt to crouch for a spring, the gun would have been at his shoulder in a moment, and, hit or miss, he would have drawn the trigger.

"Why don't you shoot?" whispered Joe again.

"I can't," replied Rob. "It must be a tame one."

"Nonsense! You're mad. We're right away in the wilds."

"I don't care where we are," said Rob, who was growing cool and confident; "this must be a tame one. I shall go forward."

"No, no—don't! He'll claw you down."

"He'd better not. I've got my finger on the trigger. Here! Hallo, old chap! puss! puss! whose cat are you?"

"He's mad," whispered Joe as Rob advanced, and the puma stood firm watching him, till they were so close together that, in full confidence that they had met with a tame beast, the property of some settler or Indian, he laid his gun in the hollow of his left arm, and stretched out his right hand.

The puma winced slightly, and its eyes grew more dilate; but, as Rob stood still, the wild look passed slowly away, and it remained motionless.

"Don't! pray don't!" cried Joe in a hoarse whisper; "it will seize your hand in its jaws."

"Nonsense! It's as tame as an old tom-cat," said Rob coolly. "Poor old puss, then!" he continued, reaching out a little farther, so that he could just softly touch the animal's cheek, passing his fingers along toward its left ear.

"There, I told you so," he said, with a laugh, for the puma pressed its head against his hand, giving it a rub in regular cat fashion, while as, to Joe's horror, Rob continued his caress and began gently rubbing the animal's head, it emitted a soft, purring noise, rolled its head about, and ended by closing up and leaning against the lad's leg, passing itself along from nose to tail, turning and repeating the performance, and again on the other side.

"I am glad I didn't shoot," said Rob, bending down to stroke the animal's back. "I say, isn't he a beauty! Come and make friends. He's a bit afraid of us yet."

Joe stood fast, with the loaded gun presented, ready to fire and save his friend's life the moment the creature seized him, when, to his astonishment, the puma so thoroughly approved of the first human caress it had ever received that it lay down, rolled over, wriggling its spine when all four legs were in the air, rolled back again, scratching the ground, and finally crouched and looked up as much as to say, "Go on."

Rob answered the appeal he read in the puma's eyes, and going down on one knee, he patted and stroked it, when, quick as the movement of a serpent, it threw itself over on its back, seized the lad's hand between its bent paws, patted it from one to the other, and then held it tightly as it brought down its mouth as if to bite, but only began to lick the palm with its rough tongue.

"There!" said Rob; "what do you say now? Isn't it a tame one?"

"I—I don't know yet. Hadn't I better fire and kill it?"

"You'd better not," cried Rob. "That'll do, old chap; you'll have the skin off. I say, his tongue is rough. Why, what beautiful fur he has, and how soft and clean! I wonder whose he is."

In the most domestic cat-like fashion the puma now curled itself round, with its forepaws doubled under, and kept up its soft purr as it watched the lad by its side. But as he rose the animal sprang up too, butted its head affectionately against his leg, and then looked up as if to say,—

"What next?"

"Why don't you come and stroke it?" cried Rob. "Because I'm sure it's wild and fierce," was the reply. "Well, it isn't now."

"Ahoy!" came from a distance, and the puma looked sharply about, with ears erect and an intense look, as if it were listening.

"Ahoy!" shouted back Rob. "Let's go to them. Come along, puss."

He took a few steps forward, the puma staring at him and twisting its tail from side to side; but it did not stir. "There, I told you so. It is wild."

"Well, it may be, but it's quite ready to make friends, and it will not hurt us. Come along."

Joe did not possess his companion's faith, and keeping his face to the puma as much as he could, he advanced toward where they could see Brazier waving his hand to them to come on.

As they advanced Rob kept on stopping and looking back at the puma, calling it loudly; but the animal made no response. It stood there with its eyes dilating again, waving and twisting its tail, till they were thirty or forty yards distant, when, with a sudden movement, it half turned away, crouched, its hind legs seemed to act like a spring, and it was shot forward into the low growth and disappeared.

"Gone!" said Joe, with a sigh of relief.

"Why, you're actually afraid of a cat," said Rob mockingly.

"I am—of cats like that," replied his companion. "I've heard my father say that some of them are friendly. That must be a friendly one, but I'm sure they are not fit to be trusted. Let's make haste."

Rob did not feel so disposed, and he looked back from time to time as they forced their way through the grass and low growth, but there was no puma visible, and finally, taking it for granted that the animal was gone, but making up his mind to try and find it again if they stayed, he stepped out more quickly to catch up to Joe, who was pressing on toward where he could now see both of their companions and a hundred yards beyond the boatmen coming to meet them.

"Hi! What have you shot, Mr Brazier?" cried Rob as he drew nearer.

"Deer! Very fine one!" came back the reply.

"Venison for dinner, then, and not 'only fish,'" said Rob as he changed shoulders with his gun. "Shouldn't care to be always tied down to fresh-water fish, Joe. They're not like turbot and soles."

"I say, don't talk about eating," said the young Italian testily.

"Why not?"

"Makes me so hungry."

"Well, so much the better. Proves that you enjoy your meals. I say, I wish that great cat had followed us."

"Nonsense! What could you have done with it?"

"Kept it as a pet. Taught it to catch birds for us, and to fetch those we shot like a dog. Oh, what a beauty!"

This was on seeing the fine large fat deer which had fallen to Brazier's gun.

"Yes," said Brazier, with a satisfied smile; "it was a piece of good fortune, and it will relieve me of some anxiety about provisions."

"But it will not keep," said Rob.

"Yes; cut in strips and dried in the sun, it will last as long as we want it. You see, we have no means of making up waste in our stores, Rob, and the more we get our guns to help us the longer our expedition can be."

The boatmen and the two lads reached the deer just about the same time, and the latter stood looking on with rather an air of disgust upon their countenances as the crew set to work and deftly removed the animal's skin, which was carried off to the boat to be stretched over the awning to dry, while those left rapidly went to work cutting the flesh in strips and bearing it off to the boat.

"I say, Mr Brazier," said Rob after watching the proceedings for some time, "hadn't those strips of flesh better be dried on shore somewhere?"

"Why?"

"Because they'll smell dreadfully."

"I hope not," said Brazier, smiling.

"Not they, sir," put in Shaddy. "Sun soon coats 'em over and takes the juice out of them. They won't trouble your nose, Master Rob, sir, trust me; and as to drying 'em on shore, that would be a very good plan in every way but one."

"What do you mean?"

"Why, that it would be very convenient, sir, and the meat would dry nicely; but when we wanted it you may take my word it wouldn't be there."

"Would some one steal it?" cried Rob. "No; you told me there were no Indians about."

"So I did, sir; but there are hundreds of other things would take it."

"Hang it up in a tree, then."

"Ready for the vultures to come and carry it off? That wouldn't do, sir. No; there's no way of doing it but hanging it up in your boat. The animals can't get at it, nor the ants neither, and the birds are afraid to come."

"I did not think of that," said Rob apologetically.

"No, sir, s'pose not. I used to think as you did. I didn't want to have anything that might smell on my boat, and I did as you advised till I found out that it would not do. Don't take too much at a time," he growled to the man who was loading himself, "and mind and lay out all the pieces separate. Is the fire burning?"

The man replied in his own tongue, and went off.

"I'll get on now, sir," said Shaddy, "and see to the pieces frizzling for our dinner, if you'll stop and see that the men don't leave before they are done."

"How am I to speak to them? I don't know their tongue."

"No need to speak, sir. If they see you're watching them they won't neglect anything, but will do it properly. I was only afraid of their wanting to step off to the fireside to begin broiling bones."

Shaddy shouldered his gun, and went off after the man who was loaded with strips of flesh to make what is called biltong, and the two left worked on very diligently, with the boys wandering here and there in search of objects of interest and finding plenty—brilliant metallic-cased beetles, strange flowers which they wanted named, birds which it was a delight to watch as they busied themselves about the fruit and flowers of the trees at the forest edge.

"I shall be glad when they've done," said Joe at last, as they were walking back to where Brazier stood leaning upon the muzzle of his gun. "I am so hungry. Wonder whether these berries are good to eat!"

He turned aside into the bushes to begin picking some bright yellow fruit, and scaring away a little parrot from the feast.

"I want something better than those," said Rob contemptuously; and he went on, expecting that Joe was close behind.

All at once, when he was about twenty yards away from where Brazier was standing, Rob saw him start, raise his gun, and cock it as he glared wildly at his young companion.

"Anything the matter, sir?" cried Rob, hastening his steps.

"Yes!" cried Brazier hoarsely. "Stand aside, boy! Take care! Out of my line of fire! You're being stalked by a wild beast!"

Rob stared, looked round, and saw at a glance that the puma had evidently been hiding among the dead grass and thick growth, but had been following and watching him ever since he had seen it leap into the bushes. Then the truth dawned upon him that of course Mr Brazier could not know what had passed, and there he was with his gun raised to fire.

"Stand aside, boy!" was roared again; and, obeying the stronger will, Rob sprang aside, but only to leap back.

"Don't fire! don't fire!" he shrieked, but too late. The gun belched forth rapidly its two charges, and Rob fell and rolled over upon the earth.



CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

FRIGHTENED BY FALSE FIRES.

"Naylor—Giovanni—help! help!" cried Brazier. "What have I done?"

As in a voice full of agony Brazier uttered these words, the dense smoke from the gun which had hidden Rob for the moment slowly rose and showed the lad lying motionless upon the earth. Shaddy rushed up, dropped upon one knee and raised the boy's head, while with his keen knife held across his mouth he looked sharply round for the South American lion, ready to meet its attack.

But the animal was not visible, and it was directly after forgotten in the excitement centred on Rob.

"Tear off his clothes! Where is he wounded? No doctor! Run to the boat for that little case of mine. Here, let me come."

These words were uttered by Brazier with frantic haste, and directly after he uttered a cry of horror and pointed to Rob's forehead close up amongst the hair, where a little thread of blood began to ooze forth.

"That ain't a shot wound," growled Shaddy. "Hi! One of you get some water."

One of the boatmen, who had hurried up, ran back toward the stream, and just then Rob opened his lips said peevishly,—

"Don't! Leave off! Will you be quiet? Eh! What's the matter?"

As he spoke he thrust Brazier's hand from his head, opened his eyes and looked round.

"What are you doing?" he cried wonderingly.

"Lower him down, Naylor," whispered Brazier hoarsely; and Shaddy was in the act of obeying, but Rob started up into a sitting position, and then sprang to his feet.

"What are you doing, Shaddy?" he cried angrily, as he clapped his hand to his brow, withdrew it, and looked at the stained fingers. "What's the matter with my head?"

He threw it back as he spoke, shook it, and then, as if the mist which troubled his brain had floated away like the smoke from Brazier's gun, he cried:

"I know; I remember. Oh! I say, Mr Brazier, you haven't shot that poor cat?"

"Rob, my boy, pray, pray, pray lie down till we have examined your injuries."

"Nonsense! I'm not hurt," cried the lad—"only knocked my head on a stump. I remember now: I caught my right foot in one of those canes, and pitched forward. Where's the cat?"

He looked round sharply.

"Never mind the wretched beast," cried Brazier. "Tell me, boy: you were not hit?"

"But I do mind," cried Rob. "I wouldn't have had that poor thing shot on any account."

"Are you hurt?" cried Brazier, almost angrily.

"Of course I am, sir. You can't pitch head first on to a stump without hurting yourself. I say, did you hit the cat?"

"Then you were not shot?" cried Brazier.

"Shot? No! Who said I was?"

"Ourai!" shouted the young Italian, with the best imitation he could give of an English hurrah.

"Then I have frightened myself almost to death for nothing," cried Brazier. "How dare you pretend that you were shot!"

"I didn't," cried Rob angrily, for his smarting head exacerbated his temper. "I never pretended anything. I couldn't help tumbling. You shouldn't have fired."

"There, hold your tongue, Mr Rob, sir. It's all right, and instead of you and the guv'nor here getting up a row, it strikes me as you ought both to go down on your knees and be very thankful. A few inches more one way or t'other, and this here expedition would have been all over, and us going back as mizzable men as ever stepped."

The guide's words were uttered in so solemn and forcible a way that Brazier took a step or two forward and caught his hand, pressing it firmly as he looked him full in the eyes.

Brazier was silent for a few moments, and then, in a voice rendered husky by emotion, he said,—

"You are quite right, Naylor. Thank you, my man, for the lesson. I deserve all you have said, and yet I am thankful at heart for the—"

He did not finish his words, but dropped Shaddy's hand, and then turned to Rob and laid his hand upon the boy's shoulder.

"Come to the boat, Rob," he said. "I'll sponge and strap up that little cut. Naylor spoke truly. We have much to be thankful for. I ought not to have spoken so harshly to you."

"Nor I to have been so cross, sir. It was my head hurt me, and made me speak shortly."

"Say no more now, boy. Come and let me play surgeon."

"What, for this?" cried Rob, laughing. "It's only a scratch, sir, and doesn't matter a bit."

But Brazier insisted, and soon after Rob's forehead was ornamented with a strip of diachylon plaster, and the injury forgotten.

The men soon prepared a meal, and the rest of the day was spent in preparing the deer meat to keep in store; the effect of the hot sun being wonderful, the heat drying up the juices and checking the decomposition that might have been expected to succeed its exposure. But it in no case improved the appearance of the boat.

Toward evening Brazier did a little collecting, helped by the boys, and later on the latter fished from the boat, with no small success, so that there was no fear of the stores being placed too much under contribution for some days to come.

The fishing was brought to a close, and their captives hung over the side in a great bag composed of net, so that they could be kept alive ready for use when required; and this done, Rob turned to Giovanni.

"Come ashore, Joe," he said.

Brazier looked up sharply from where he was taking notes and numbering his dried specimens of plants.

"Where are you going?" he said.

"Only to have a bit of a wander ashore," replied Rob.

"No, no; be content with your day's work. We shall have some supper soon, and then turn in for a long night's rest. Besides, I don't care for you to go alone."

"Very well, sir," said Rob quietly; "only we couldn't go far and be lost. Shall we take Shaddy with us?"

"No; I wish you to stay in the boat this evening, and I'm going to call the men on board as soon as they have well made up the fire. There are savage beasts about, and we don't want more trouble than we can help."

Rob looked disappointed, but he said nothing, and went right forward to where Shaddy was busy washing out one of the guns; and there the two lads sat, gazing across the green surface of lily leaves, watching the birds which ran to and fro, the gorgeous colouring of the sky, and the many tints reflected by the water where the stream ran winding through. Then, too, there were splashings and plungings of heavy fish, beasts, and reptiles to note, and very little to see, for by the time they had made out the spot where the splash had been made, there was nothing visible but the heaving of the great lily leaves and a curious motion of their edges, which were tilted up by the moving creatures stirring amidst the stems.

"Head hurt?" said Joe at last, after a long silence, broken only by the grunts of Shaddy as he rubbed and polished away at the gun-barrel, so as to remove the last trace of damp.

"Hurt? No. Only smarts a bit," replied Rob.

"Why did you want to go ashore again?"

There was no reply.

"I didn't; I was too tired. Don't care for much walking in the hot sun. Did you want to shoot?"

"No. Wanted to see whether Mr Brazier had shot that poor cat."

"Poor cat!" said Joe, derisively: "I wonder whether a mouse calls his enemy a poor cat. Why, the brute could have taken you and shaken you like a rat, and carried you off in its jaws."

"Who says so?" retorted Rob, rather warmly.

"I do."

"And how do you know you were right?"

"Well, of course I can't tell whether I'm right," said Joe, "only that's what lions and tigers do."

"Seemed as if it was going to, didn't it?" said Rob, who was now growing warm in the defence of the animal. "Why, it was as tame as tame, and I'm going ashore first thing to-morrow morning to track it out and find where it lay down to die. I want its skin, to keep in memory of the poor thing. It was as tame as a great dog."

"Won't be very tame 'morrow morning if you find it not dead," growled Shaddy.

"Then you don't think it is dead, Shaddy?" cried Rob eagerly.

"Can't say nothing about it, my lad. All I know is that Mr Brazier fired two barrels at it, and as the shots didn't hit you they must have hit the lion."

"Don't follow," said Rob, with a short laugh. "Couldn't they have hit the ground?"

Shaddy rubbed his head with the barrel of the gun he was oiling, and that view of the question took a long time to decide, while the boys smiled at each other and watched him.

"Well," said Shaddy at last, "p'raps you're right, Master Rob. If the shots didn't hit the lion they might have hit the ground."

"And you did not find the animal, nor see any blood?"

"Never looked for neither, my lad. But, tell you what: if you do want his skin I'll go with you in the morning and track him down. I expect we shall find him lying dead, for Mr Brazier's a wonderful shot."

"And not likely to miss," said Rob sadly. "But I should like its skin, Shaddy."

"And you shall have it, sir, if he's dead. If he isn't he has p'raps carried it miles away into the woods, and there's no following him there."

Rob gazed wistfully across the opening now beginning to look gloomy, and his eyes rested on the figures of the boatmen who were busily piling up great pieces of dead wood to keep up the fire for the night, the principal objects being to scare away animals, and have a supply of hot embers in the morning ready for cooking purposes. And as the fire glowed and the shadows of evening came on, the figures of the men stood out as if made of bronze, till they had done and came down to the boat.

An hour later the men were on board, the rope paid out so that they were a dozen yards from the shore, where a little grapnel had been dropped to hold the boat from drifting in, and once more Rob lay beneath the awning watching the glow of the fire as it lit up the canvas, which was light and dark in patches as it was free from burden or laden with the objects spread upon it to dry. From the forest and lake came the chorus to which he was growing accustomed; and as the lad looked out through the open end of the tent—an arrangement which seemed that night as if it did nothing but keep out the comparatively cool night air—he could see one great planet slowly rising and peering in. Then, all at once, there was dead silence. The nocturnal chorus, with all its weird shrieks and cries, ceased as if by magic, and the darkness was intense.

That is, to Rob: for the simple reason that he had dropped asleep.



CHAPTER FIFTEEN.

FOE OR FRIEND?

It was still dark when Rob awoke, and lay listening to the heavy breathing of the other occupants of the boat. Then, turning over, he settled himself down for another hour's sleep.

But the attempt was vain. He had had his night's rest—all for which nature craved—and he now found that he might lie and twist and turn as long as he liked without any effect whatever.

Under these circumstances he crept softly out and looked at the cool, dark water lying beneath the huge leaves, some of which kept on moving in a silent, secretive manner, as if the occupants of the lake were trying to see what manner of thing the boat was, which lay so silent and dark on the surface.

It had been terribly hot and stuffy under the awning, and the water looked deliciously cool and tempting. There was a fascination about the great, black leaves floating there, which seemed to invite the lad to strip off the light flannels in which he had slept, to lower himself gently over the side, and lie in and on and amongst them, with the cool water bracing and invigorating him ready for the heat and toil of the coming day.

It would be good, thought Rob. Just one plunge and a few strokes, and then out and a brisk rub.

But there were the alligators and fish innumerable, nearly all of which had been provided by nature with the sharpest of teeth.

He shuddered at the thought of how, as soon as his white body was seen in the water, scores of voracious creatures might make a rush for him and drag him down among the lily stems for a feast.

"Won't do," he muttered; "but what a pity it does seem!"

He sat watching the surface, and, as he saw how calm and still it was, the longing for a bathe increased. It would, he felt, be so refreshing—so delicious after the hot night and the sensations of prickly heat. Surely he could get a quick plunge and back before anything could attack him; and as he thought this the longing increased tenfold, and plenty of arguments arose in favour of the attempt. There were numbers of great fish and alligators, he knew, but they were not obliged to be there now. Fish swam in shoals, and might be half a mile away one hour though swarming at another.

"I've a good mind to," he thought, and as that thought came he softly unfastened the collar of his flannel shirt.

But he went no farther, for common sense came to the front and pointed out the folly of such a proceeding, after the warnings he had had of the dangers of the river teeming as it did with fierce occupants.

"It will not do, I suppose," he muttered. "I should like to try it, though."

He glanced around, but no one was stirring. The men forward were silent beneath their blankets, and the occupants of the canvas cabin were all sleeping heavily, as their breathing told plainly enough, so there was no fear of interruption.

"I'll try it," said the lad, in an eager whisper.

"No. There is no one to help me if I wanted any. And yet is there likely to be any danger? Most likely the alligators would swim away if they saw me, and would be more frightened of me than I should be of them. While as to the fish—Bah! I'm a coward, and nothing else. Dare say the water's as cool as can be, while I'm as hot as any one could get without being in a fever."

He rolled up the sleeve of his shirt above the elbow, and, leaning over the side, thrust it down between the curves of two lily leaves which overlapped.

"It is delightfully cool," he said to himself, and he thrust his arm down farther, when his fingers came in contact with something rough, which started away, making the water swirl in a tremendous eddy, and caused the sudden abstraction of the lad's arm, but not so quickly that he did not feel a sharp pang, and a tiny fish dropped from the skin on to the bottom of the boat.

"The little wretch!" muttered Rob; and the lesson was sufficient. He did not feel the slightest desire to tempt the cool water more, but applied his lips to the little bite, which was bleeding freely, thinking the while that if one of those savage little fish could produce such an effect, what would be the result of an attack by a thousand.

Day was near at hand as Rob sat there, though it was still dark, and a cold mist hung over the water; but the nocturnal creatures had gone to rest, and here and there came a chirrup or long-drawn whistle to tell that the birds were beginning to stir, instinctively knowing that before long the sun would be up, sending light and heat to chase away the mists of night. Now and then, too, there was a splash or a wallowing sound, as of some great creature moving in the shallows, close up beneath where the trees overhung the water, and the boy turned his head from place to place, half in awe, half in eagerness to know what had made the sound.

But he could make out nothing that was more than twenty or thirty yards from where the boat swung to her moorings; and, turning his head more round, he sat thinking of the adventures of the previous day, and wondered where the puma might be.

"It was a stupid thing to do to run right before that gun," he said to himself; "but I hadn't time to think that Mr Brazier would fire, and I didn't want the poor beast to be killed."

Rob sat thinking of how gentle and tame the great cat-like creature seemed, and a curious sensation of sorrow came over him as he thought of it crawling away into some shelter to die in agony from the effects of the deadly wounds inflicted by Brazier's gun.

"And if I had not tumbled down," he said to himself, "it would have been me instead;" and now he shuddered, for the full truth of his narrow escape dawned upon him.

"It would have been horrid," he thought; "I never felt before how near it was."

He leaned back and looked around at the misty darkness and then up at the sky, where all at once a tiny patch began to glow and rapidly become warmer, till it was of a vivid orange.

"Morning," said Rob half aloud; and feeling quite light-hearted at the prospect of daylight and breakfast, he sat up and looked round him at the positions, now dimly seen, of his companions, and was just thinking of rousing up the men to see to the fire, when the latter took his attention, and he turned to see if it was still glowing.

For some minutes he could not make out the exact spot where it had been made. It was in a little natural clearing about twenty yards from the bank, but the early morning was still too dark for him to make out either bank or clearing, till all at once a faint puff of air swept over the lake, and as it passed the boat, going toward the forest, there was a faint glow, as of phosphorescence, trembling in one particular spot, and he knew that it must be caused by the fanning of the embers.

That faint light was only visible for a few moments, then all was dark again, but it was a transparent darkness, gradually growing clearer. Then a tree seemed to start up on the scene, and a clump of bushes nearer the fire. Soon after he could make out a great patch of feathery green, and this had hardly grown clear enough for him to be certain what it was, when something misty and undefined appeared to be moving along the bank close to the tree to which the boat was tethered. The next moment it melted away into the soft darkness.

"Fancy!" said Rob to himself. But directly after he knew it was not fancy, for he could hear a peculiar scratching, rending sound, which put him in mind of a cat tearing with its claws at the leg of a table.

And now as if by magic there was a soft warm glow diffused around, and, to his surprise and delight, he saw again the object he had before noticed, but no longer undefined. It was grey, and looked transparent, but it was a warm-grey, and grew moment by moment less transparent, gradually assuming the shape of his friend of the previous day, alive and to all appearances uninjured, as, with its soft, elastic, cat-like step and undulating body and tail, it walked slowly down to the edge of the bank, and stood staring at Rob as if waiting for him to speak.

For a few moments the lad was silent and motionless, as he strove hard to detect signs of injury upon the soft, coat of the puma, but nothing was visible, and the animal remained as motionless as he, save that the long tail writhed and curled about as a snake might if gently held by its head.

The next minute Rob had decided what to do.

Creeping silently astern, he unfastened and paid out a good deal of the line which held the boat to the grapnel. Then refastening it, he went silently forward, and began to haul upon the other line, which was secured to the tree ashore, thus bringing the boat's head close up to the bank and within half a dozen yards of the puma, which stood watching him till the boat touched the bank, when, without hesitation or fear of consequences, Rob stepped ashore.

"Fine chance for him if he does mean to eat me!" thought Rob, with a laugh. But the next moment he did feel startled, for the animal suddenly crouched, gathered its hind legs beneath it, and he could see them working as the agile creature prepared to spring.

Rob's heart beat heavily, and a cry rose to his lips, but was not uttered, for he felt paralysed, and he would have proved to be an unresisting victim had the puma's intentions been inimical. But the lad soon knew that they were friendly, for the great bound the creature gave landed it at his feet, where it immediately rolled over on to its side, then turned upon its back, and with touches soft as those of a kitten pulled at the boy's legs and feet, looking playfully up at him the while.

"Why, you are a tame one," said Rob, with a sigh of relief. "There's no danger in you whatever," and sinking on one knee, he patted and rubbed the great soft head which was gently moved about in his hand.

So satisfactory was this to the puma that it rolled itself about on the ground, pressed its head against Rob's knee, and finally turned over once more, couched, laid its head against him, and gazed up in his eyes as he placed his hand upon the soft browny-grey head.

"Well, there's no mistake about this," said Rob aloud; "you and I are good friends, and you must be a tame one. The thing is, where is your master?"

Rob had hardly uttered the word "tame" before the puma's eyes dilated, and it uttered a low, deep growl, staring fiercely the while at the boat.

Rob followed the direction of the animal's eyes, and saw that it was watching Brazier, who had just stepped out from the canvas cabin, holding a gun in his hand.

"Don't! don't do that!" cried Rob excitedly. "It's quite tame, Mr Brazier. Look!"

He was about to bend down and caress the puma again; but as he turned it was only to see its soft, tawny skin and outstretched tail as it made one bound into the thick, low growth of bush and feathery grass, and it was gone.

"Why, Rob," cried his leader, "how could you be so foolish as to go near that savage beast?"

"But it isn't savage," said the lad eagerly; "it's as tame as any cat. It must belong to some one near."

By this time Shaddy had heard the talking and risen, rather apologetic for sleeping so long, and as soon as he had called up his men and sent them ashore to see to the fire the case was laid before him.

"Nay, Master Rob," he said, "there's no one about here to tame lions. It's a wild one sure enough. Dessay he never saw a man or boy before, and he's a young one perhaps, and a bit kittenish. Wants to make friends."

"Friends with a dangerous beast like that, man?" cried Brazier. "Absurd!"

"Oh, they're not dangerous, sir; that is, not to man. I never heard of a lion touching a man unless the man had shot at and hurt him. Then they'll fight savagely for their lives. Dangerous to monkeys, or dogs, or deer; but I'm not surprised at its taking to Master Rob here, and don't see no call to fear."

"Well, of course your experience is greater than mine, Naylor," said Brazier; "but I should have thought that at any moment the beast might turn and rend him."

"No, sir; no, sir; no fear of that! I daresay the crittur would follow him anywhere and be as friendly as a cat. The Indians never take any notice of lions. It's the tigers they're a bit scared about. Lions hate tigers too; and I've known 'em fight till they were both dying."

"Ah well, we need not discuss the matter, for the puma has gone."

"Thought you were going to shoot at it again, sir," said Rob in rather an ill-used tone, for he was disappointed at the sudden interruption to his friendly intercourse with the beautiful beast.

By this time Giovanni was out of the boat, and stared rather at the account of the morning's adventure; but the announcement soon after that the coffee was boiling changed the conversation, and for the time being the puma was forgotten.

The great natural clearing at the edge of the lake and the opening out of the river itself gave so much opportunity for Brazier to prosecute his collecting that he at once decided upon staying in the neighbourhood—certainly for that day, if not for one or two more, and in consequence the fire was left smouldering, while the boat was forced along close in shore, which was no easy task, on account of the dense growth of lilies.

The heat was great, but forgotten in the excitement of collecting, and, with the help of his young companions, Brazier kept on making additions to his specimens, while Rob's great regret was that they were not seeking birds and insects as well.

"Seems such a pity," he confided to Joe. "The orchids are very beautiful when they are hanging down from the trees, with their petals looking like the wings of insects and their colour all of such lovely yellows and blues, but we shall only have the dried, bulb-like stems to take back with us, and how do we know that they will ever flower again?"

"If properly dried, a great many of them will," said Brazier at that moment.

Rob started.

"I didn't know you were listening, sir," he said.

"I was not listening, Rob, but you spoke so loudly, I could not help hearing your words. I can quite understand your preference for the brilliant-coloured and metallic-plumaged birds, and also for the lovely insects which we keep seeing, but specimens of most of these have been taken to Europe again and again, while I have already discovered at least four orchids which I am sure are new."

"But if they do not revive," said Rob, "we shall have had all our journey for nothing."

"But they will revive, my boy, you may depend upon that—at least, some of them; and to my mind we shall have done a far greater thing in carrying to England specimens of these gorgeous flowers to live and be perpetuated in our hothouses, than in taking the dried mummies of bird and insect, which, however beautiful, can never by any possibility live again."

"I didn't think of that," said Rob apologetically.

"I suppose not. But there, be content to help me in my collecting; you are getting plenty of adventure, and to my mind, even if we take back nothing, we shall carry with us recollections of natural wonders that will remain imprinted on our brains till the end of our days."

"He's quite right," thought Rob as he sat alone some time after; "but I wish he wouldn't speak to me as if he were delivering a lecture. Of course I shall help him and work hard, but I do get tired of the flowers. They're beautiful enough on the trees, but as soon as they are picked they begin to fade and wither away."

The conversation took place at the end of the lake, just where the river issued in a narrow stream, walled in on either side by the trees as before, and the intention was to cross this exit and go back by the other side, round to the wide clearing where they had passed the previous night.

Plans in unknown waters are more easily made than carried out.

They had halted for a short time at the foot of a majestic tree, one evidently of great age, and draped from where its lower boughs almost touched the water right to the crown with parasitic growth, much of which consisted of the particular family of flowers Brazier had made his expedition to collect.

Here several splendid specimens were cut from a huge drooping bough which was held down by the men while the collector operated with a handy little axe, bringing down as well insects innumerable, many of which were of a stinging nature, and, to the dismay of both boys, first one and then another brilliantly marked snake of some three feet long and exceedingly slender.

These active little tree-climbers set to at once to find a hiding-place, and at once it became the task of all the band to prevent this unsatisfactory proceeding, no one present looking forward with satisfaction to the prospect of having snakes as fellow-travellers, especially poisonous ones. But they were soon hunted out and thrown by means of a stick right away into the water, but not to drown, for they took to it, swimming as actively and well as an eel.

"Why, that last fellow will reach one of those boughs and get back into a tree again," cried Joe.

"If a fish does not treat him like a worm," said Rob; and he did not feel at all hopeful about the little reptile's fate.

But the next minute he had to think of his own.

One minute the boat was being propelled gently through the still waters amongst the great lily leaves; the next they were in sight of the exit, and something appeared to give the boat a sudden jerk.

"Alligator?" asked Rob excitedly.

"Stream!" growled Shaddy, seizing an oar and rowing with all his might just as they were being swept rapidly down the lower river, the trees gliding by them and the men appearing to have no power whatever to check the boat's way as it glided on faster and faster, leaving the open lake the next minute quite out of sight.



CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

IN A TROPIC STORM.

Rob and Joe looked at each other quite aghast as the boat was literally snatched away out of the boatmen's control and went tearing down the river. For, beside the alteration in their plans, there was the fire waiting, all glowing embers, that would cook to perfection; there were wild fruits which the two lads had noted from the boat; and there was the puma, whose society Rob felt a strong desire to cultivate.

Then, too, there was something startling in being suddenly robbed of all power to act and being swept at a headlong speed along a rapid, for aught they knew, toward some terrible waterfall, over which they would be hurled. So that it was with no little satisfaction that they saw Shaddy seize the boat-hook and, after urging the crew to do their best to pull the boat toward the trees, stand up in the bows and wait his turn.

The crew worked hard, and kept the boat's head up stream, and by degrees they contrived to get it closer to the side, while Shaddy made three attempts to catch hold of a branch. In each case the bough snapped off, but at the fourth try the bough bent and held, though so great was the shock that when the hook caught, the strong-armed man was nearly drawn over the bows into the river, and would have been but for one of the boatmen's help.

It was a sharp tussle for a few moments, and then two of the men caught hold of hanging branches as the boat swung within reach. The next minute a rope was passed round a branch, and the boat was safely moored.

"Mind looking to see whether I've got any arms, Mr Rob?" said Shaddy. "Feels as if they were both jerked out of their sockets."

"Are you hurt much?" asked the boys in a breath.

"Pootty tidy, young gents; but I ain't going to holler about it. There's no time. I don't mind going fast, you know, either in a boat or on horseback, but I do hate for the boat or the horse to take the bit in its teeth and bolt as this did just now."

"What do you propose doing, Naylor?" said Brazier. "It is impossible to get back, and yet I should have liked a few hours more at that clearing."

"And them you shall have, sir, somehow. I'm not the man to be beaten by a boat without making a bit of a fight for it first. Let's get my breath and my arms—ah! they're coming back now. I can begin to feel 'em a bit."

He sat rubbing his biceps, laughing at the boys, Brazier looking up and down-stream uneasily the while.

"Do you know exactly where this river runs, Naylor?" he said at last.

"Well, not exactly, sir. I know it goes right through the sort of country you want to see, and that was enough for me; but I've a notion that it goes up to the nor'-west, winding and twisting about till it runs in one spot pootty nigh to the big river we left, so that we can perhaps go up some side stream, drag the boat across a portage, and launch her for our back journey over the same ground or water as we came up."

"But we shall never get back to the lake," said Rob, as he glanced at the running stream which glided rapidly by, making the boat drag at its tethering rope as if at any moment it would snatch itself free.

"Never's a long time, Mr Rob. We'll see."

He turned to his men, gave them a few instructions in a low tone of voice, and three seated themselves on the port side, while Shaddy and the fourth, a herculean fellow with muscles which bulged out like huge ropes from his bronzed arms, stood in the bows, the latter with the boat-hook and Shaddy with the rope.

"Praps you young gentlemen wouldn't mind putting a hand to the branches when you get a chance," said Shaddy; "every pound of help gives us a pound of strength."

Then, renewing his orders, he seized the light rope, hauled upon it, the man beside him making good use of his hook, and between them they dragged the boat a few feet and made fast the rope, hauled again, cast off the rope, and made fast again—all helping wherever a bough could be caught.

And so they slowly fought their way back against the gigantic strength of the rapid stream, but not without risks. Rob was hauling away at a bough with all his might, when it suddenly snapped, and he would have gone overboard had not Joe thrown himself upon him and held on just as he was toppling down without power to recover his balance.

"That was near," said Rob as he gazed on the young Italian's ghastly face. "I say, don't look scared like that."

Joe shuddered and resumed his work, while Rob put a little less energy into his next movements for a few minutes, but forgot his escape directly after, and worked away with the rest.

It was toil which required constant effort, and they won their way upward very slowly. Twice over they lost ground by the giving way of the branch to which the rope had been attached, and once the boat-hook slipped from the Indian's hand and floated down-stream past the boat, the heavy iron end causing it to keep nearly upright. For a few moments it disappeared, but came gently to the surface again just as it was passing the stern, when the boys gave a ringing cheer, for, leaning out as far as he could, Brazier secured it and passed it back to the man.

Of minor troubles there were plenty. At one moment they would be covered with insects which were rudely shaken from the boughs; at another some branch beneath which they were passing would threaten to sweep the canvas cabin out of the boat; and once it was Joe, whose flannel was caught by a snaggy end and hung there with the boat passing from under him till a chorus of cries made the stalwart boatman cease his efforts and look back at the mischief he was causing as he hauled.

But, in spite of all difficulties, the boat was slowly drawn over the ground lost in the wild race downward, till at last the lake was reached, and a few sturdy efforts sufficed to drag it once more into still water.

"Once is enough for a job like that, Master Rob," said Shaddy, as he wiped his dripping brow with the back of his hand.

"It was hard work," replied Rob.

"Ay, 'twas; and if you wouldn't mind saying you were so hungry you didn't know what to do, it would be doing us all a kindness, and make Mr Brazier think about meat instead of vegetables."

He gave his head a nod sidewise at Brazier's back, for as the men rested under the shade of a tree the naturalist was busy hauling down some lovely clusters of blossoms from overhead.

"You mean you want some dinner, Shaddy?"

"That's it, sir. This here engine will soon stop working if you don't put on more coal."

"I'll give him a hint," said Rob, laughing; and he did, the result being that Brazier gave the word for the men to row right across toward the clearing—a task they eagerly commenced in spite of the heat and the sturdy effort required to force a way through the dense covering of broad green leaves. They had the river to cross on their way, and as the clear stream was neared a long way above its exit from the lake the men, as if moved by one impulse, ceased rowing, and paused to take their breath before making a sturdy effort to cross it without losing ground.

It was a necessary precaution, for the moment the bows of the boat issued from among the dense growth the stem was pressed heavily downward, and the opposite side of the stream was reached after quite a sharp fight. Then the long, steady pull was commenced again, and, with the leaves brushing against the side, they forced their way onward till the clearing came in view.

The faint curl of bluish smoke encouraged the men to fresh efforts, all thinking of broiled deer meat and a fragrant cup of coffee, both of which afforded grateful refreshment soon after they touched the shore.

"Will it be safe to attempt to continue our journey down that part of the river?" Brazier asked as they were seated afterward in the shade.

"Oh yes, sir, safe enough," replied Shaddy.

"But suppose we have to come back the same way?"

"Well, sir, we can do it, only it will take time."

"You will not mind, Mr Brazier?" said Joe, smiling.

"Indeed I shall, for the work is terrible. Why did you say that?"

"Because you will have such a chance to collect, sir. I saw hundreds of beautiful blossoms which I thought you would like to get, and you could gather them while the men rested."

"Ay, to be sure, sir. Don't you mind about that river being swift! Only wants contriving, and for you to know what's coming, so as to be prepared. Now I know what to expect, I can manage. I shall just set two of the fellows to pull gently, and go down starn first, and always sit there ready with the boat-hook to hitch on to a tree if we are going too fast. You trust me, sir, spite of all that's gone before, and I'll do my best for you and the young gents till your journey's done, though I don't see any coming back this way."

"Of course I shall trust you," said Brazier. "What's the matter?"

"Trust me now then, sir," cried Shaddy, who had leaped up, and was looking sharply round. "Get aboard, all of you. Now, boys!" he roared to his men, and he pointed to the sky.

Shaddy's orders were obeyed, and though there seemed to be no reason for the preparations made, the guide was so confident of the coming of a heavy storm that the waterproof sheet brought for such an emergency was quickly drawn over the canvas roof of their little cabin and made fast; the boat was moored head and stern close up to the bank and beneath a huge, sheltering tree, the balers were laid ready for use in the fore-part and the stern; and when this was all done, and the greatest care taken to keep powder and bedding dry, Brazier turned and looked at Shaddy.

"Well," he said, "is not this a false alarm?"

"No, sir; there's a storm coming. We shall have it soon. Good job we'd got the cooking done."

"But I can't see a cloud," said Rob.

"Don't matter," replied Joe, who was also looking keenly round. "I've seen the heavy rain come streaming down when the sky has been quite clear, and the water has felt quite warm. Look at those fellows; they know the storm's coming, or they would not do that."

He pointed toward the boatmen, who were throwing a tarpaulin across the bows, ready for them to creep under as soon as the rain came.

"False alarm, boys!" said Brazier.

Shaddy overheard him, and wrinkled up his face in a curious grin as he looked hard at Rob. It was as much as to say, "All right! Just you wait a bit and see who's right and who's wrong."

"My word, how hot!" cried Rob the next minute, for the sun appeared to be shining down through a kind of transparent haze so dense that it acted like a burning glass.

"Yes, this is fierce," said Joe, drawing back into the shade afforded by the great tree.

"It would give one sunstroke, wouldn't it, if we stopped in the full blaze?"

"I suppose so. But I say, Shaddy's right. We are going to have a storm."

"How do you know?"

"By the sun gleaming out like that."

"Oh, I don't think that's anything," said Rob. "Here, let's get up into this tree and collect some orchids for Mr Brazier."

He looked up into the large forest monarch as he spoke—a tree which on three sides was wonderfully laden with great drooping boughs. Consequent upon its position at the western corner of the clearing where the boat was moored, the boughs formed a magnificent shelter for their boat down almost to the water, while on the side of the opening they pretty well touched the ground.

But Rob paid little heed to this, his attention being taken up by the fact that, though there was perfect silence, the tree was alive with birds and monkeys, which were huddled together in groups, as if their instinct had taught them that a terrible convulsion of nature was at hand. As a rule they would have taken flight or scampered about through the branches as soon as human beings had come to the tree, but now, as if aware of some great danger, they were content to share the shelter and run all risks.

"See them, Master Rob?" said Shaddy, with a grin. "No mistake this time! Look out; I daresay there'll be snakes dropping down there by-and-by, but so long as you don't touch 'em I don't s'pose they'll touch us. Shouldn't wonder if we get something else."

Just then Brazier called him to draw his attention to some of the covering, and they heard him say,—

"Don't see as we can do any more, sir. Things are sure to get wet; you can't stop it. All we can do is to keep 'em from getting wetter than we can help."

The sun still shone brilliantly, streaming down, as it were, through the leaves of the great tree like a shower of silver rain, but the silence now was painful, and Rob strained his ears to catch the peculiar modulation of one of the cricket-like insects which were generally so common around. But not one made a sound, and at last, as if troubled by the silence, the boy cried half jeeringly, "All this trouble for nothing! I say, Joe, where's the storm?"

"Here!" was the reply in a whisper, as all at once out of the clear sky great drops of rain came pattering down, then great splashes; and directly after, with a hissing rush, there were sheets of rushing water streaming through the branches and splashing upon the tarpaulin coverings of the boat.

"I say, I never saw it rain like this before," cried Rob as he sheltered himself beneath the tarpaulin and canvas. "Will it thunder—"

He was going to say, "too," but the word remained unspoken, and he shrank back appalled by a blinding flash of vivid blue lightning, which seemed to dash through beneath their shelter and make every face look of a ghastly bluish-grey.

Almost simultaneously there was a deafening peal of thunder, and, as if by an instantaneous change—probably by some icy current of air on high—the moisture-laden atmosphere was darkened by dense mists whirling and looking like foam, clouds of slaty black shut out the sun, and the rain came down in a perfect deluge, streaming through the tree and pouring into the lake with one incessant roaring splash.

One moment beneath the awning it was black as night, the next it was all one dazzling glare, while in peal after peal the mighty thunder came, one clap succeeding another before it had had time to die away in its long metallic reverberations, that sounded as if the thunder rolled away through some vast iron tunnel.

No one attempted to speak, but all crowded together listening awe-stricken to the deafening elemental war, one thought dominating others in their minds, and it was this: "Suppose one of these terrible flashes of lightning strikes the tree!"

Reason and experience said, "Why shelter beneath a tree at a time like this?" but the instinct of self-preservation drove them there to escape the terrible battering of the rain and the rushing wind.

For they had ample knowledge of the state of the lake, though, save in momentary glances, it was invisible beneath the black pall of cloud and rain, for waves came surging in, making the boat rise and fall, while from time to time quite a billow rushed beneath the drooping boughs, which partially broke its force ere it struck against the side of the boat with a heavy slap and sent its crest over the covering and into the unprotected parts.

There was something confusing as well as appalling in the storm, which was gigantic as compared to anything Rob had seen at home, and as he crouched there listening in the brief intervals of the thunder-claps, the rain poured down on the tarpaulin roof with one continuous rush and roar as heavily as if the boat had been backed in beneath some waterfall.

All at once from out of the darkness a curious startling sound was heard, which puzzled both lads for some minutes, till they suddenly recollected that Shaddy had placed tin balers fore and aft, and any doubt as to their being the cause of the peculiar noise was set at rest by Shaddy, who suddenly thrust in his head at the end of a deafening roar and shouted,—