e look of the black
water, in which the stars just glimmered; while right before them all
looked dark and strange, save where there was the distant twinkling of
the fire-flies, ever changing in position.

"Hark!" whispered Long; "there's a splash again. That can't be close to
the shore."

"No, that's not a hundred yards from the ship. I say, Long," whispered
Bob with a shudder, "I shouldn't much like to swim ashore. I'll be
bound to say that was a crocodile."

"I shouldn't wonder," was the reply; and they still stood trying to make
out the cause of the strange splashing noises, till, utterly tired out,
they sought their cots, and were soon fast asleep.

The getting up of the anchor roused the two lads soon after daybreak, by
which time steam was up; and with the faint morning mists slowly rising
like silver gauze above the dense belts of trees, the steamer began
slowly to move ahead.

The tide was flowing, and the mangroves were deep in the water, though
not so deep but that their curious network of roots could be seen, like
a rugged scaffold planted in the mud to support each stem; while as they
slowly went on, the dense beds of vegetation, in place of being a mile
off on either side, grew to be a half a mile, and soon after but a
hundred yards, as the steamer seemed to be going straight into a broad
bank ahead.

As they approached, though, a broad opening became visible, where the
course of the stream swung round to the right; and after passing a
point, the river rapidly contracted to about a hundred yards in width,
and soon after was narrower, but still a smoothly flowing stream by the
eternal mangroves. At last some signs of life began to appear, in the
shape of an occasional crocodile, which glided off a muddy bank amidst
the mangrove roots, into the water. Here and there, too, the long snout
of one of these hideous reptiles could be seen, prone on the surface of
the water, just above which appeared the eyes, with their prominences,
as the reptile turned its head slowly from side to side, in search of
some floating object that might prove to be good for food.

The sight of these beasts was too much for the officers, who were soon
armed with rifles, making shots at the muddy-hued creatures, apparently
with no other effect than for the long horny head to slowly sink beneath
the water.

Captain Smithers proved himself to be the best shot, for after splashing
the water with a bullet close to the head of