far exploring, and Pomp and I having several times
over boated through the dark forest along that bright, winding highway--
the river; generally with some difficulty, on account of the fallen
trees, and snags, and dense overgrowth, beneath which we often had to
force our way, while at other times we had almost to cut a channel
through the lilies and other water plants which choked the stream.

It was plain enough to see though, now, how comparatively easy a journey
would have been in a boat, for the large flood-waves which had swept up
the river had scoured out its bed, throwing vast rotting heaps of the
succulent water-growths ashore to rot, fester, and dry in the hot sun.

High up too I could see the traces where the flood had reached, well
marked by the dry grass hanging among the boughs.

But we kept on forcing our way slowly, soon getting into a part of the
river that was entirely new, and growing more and more fascinating to me
at every step.

For there was, in addition to the glorious beauty of the bright, sunny
river, with its banks where in places the trees drooped down and dipped
their boughs in the smooth water, and the various growths were of the
most dazzling green, always something new--bird, quadruped, insect, or
fish taking my attention to such a degree that I often forgot the boat
and the object of our journey.

Pomp was just as excited as I, touching my arm every now and then to
point with a black finger at some grey heron standing thigh-deep,
watching for the fish that nearly made the waters alive; and perhaps
just as we were waiting to see him make the next dart with his beak at
some shoal of unfortunate fry, there would be what seemed to be a great
curved bar of silver flash out of the water, to plunge in again, giving
us just a glimpse of the fierce fish's glittering scales. Every now and
then some big fellow would leap right out, to come down again with a
heavy splash, and send a whole shoal of tiny fish, invisible to us
before, flying out of the water to avoid their enemy, the river shark.

A little farther, and Pomp's lips would be close to my ear imploring me
to shoot as he indicated a bit of sandy or muddy shore where, just clear
of the water and looking like a piece of tree-stump, a great alligator
would lie basking in the hot sunshine.

But I invariably resisted his prayers, and as we went on, the reptile
would suddenly hear our coming and scuffle rapidly out of sight, making
a great