aching unbroken as far as eye could reach, with billows
and hollows, patches of light and shade, and splashes of colour
where red flowers gleamed. And it was good to see the domed sky, the
white clouds racing low, with shadows moving swiftly over that sea
of leaves; to see the flight of birds, and to hear the voices of
living things.

The tree on which they stood was very tall, but there were others as
tall, standing up like rocks out of the sea; and when they grew
accustomed to the strange surroundings, they saw something peculiar
in the shape of these tree islands. They were cleft through the
centre, leaving a narrow passage, quite distinct to any one standing
in line--as they were, for instance--with the domed head of a tall
tree about three hundred yards away.

"That is our way," said Muata.

"But where is the foothold?"

Muata pointed to notches cut in a lateral branch, and walked to the
end of it, steadying himself by holding to a guiding branch above;
then passed over the slight intervening distance between the last
notch and the next tree by swinging on a vine tendril, otherwise a
"monkey-rope."

The others followed very gingerly, for the feat was like walking on
a yard-arm, but each in turn reached the farther tree. After a
little, as they went on, now walking, now swinging, they all were
able to pick up the singular track by the notches, by the lay of the
lateral branches, and by the absence of projecting twigs along the
course. These had all been cut back, leaving a sort of tunnel, not
easily discernible, however, because of its undulating character to
accommodate itself to the varying height of the trees. They very
soon found two obstacles in the way of easy progress, due to the
small size of the engineers who had designed this extraordinary
road. In the first place, the notches on the branches were too
small; and in the next, the tunnel was too low for their height, so
that they had to stoop; while it was also evident that the overland
swing-bridges between the trees were too frail for their weight.
They quickly, therefore, resorted to their Ghoorka knives and to the
rope. Venning, being the lightest, crossed over first by the monkey
vine-bridge, when he made the rope fast to his end. It was then
secured at the other, enabling the heavy weights, Mr. Hume and the
chief, to pass next, Compton bringing up the rear with the rope
round his waist, to guard against a fall in case of accident.
Naturally,