nterminable array of mangroves, with their gaunt
roots, like the legs of gigantic spiders sprawling out into the black,
foul-smelling water.

"Well," exclaimed the general, taking off his Panama hat and mopping his
perspiring head and face with a huge red-silk handkerchief, "that is a
good job well done, and without the loss of a man, too--except, of
course, the unfortunate four that we were too late to save. You have
managed the affair exceedingly well, young sir, as I shall be happy to
bear witness at another time and place. I have somehow--I don't quite
know why--had a sort of prejudice against the navy; but a service which
trains youngsters like yourself to do such work as I have seen done to-
day can't be wholly bad."

"Bad, sir!" I exclaimed. "The navy bad? Why, on the contrary,
although perhaps it is not absolutely perfect, it is the most glorious
service that a man can possibly enter, and I am proud to belong to it.
[See note.] But we must not crow yet over our success. Those savages
will probably be rallying by this time, since they find that they are
not being pursued, and if they should choose to follow us along the
banks of the creek they may yet make us smart for our boldness."

"Ay," agreed the general, "they may; but somehow I don't fancy that they
will. Those rockets seemed to frighten them pretty well out of their
skins, and I don't believe that they will get over their terror in a
hurry. By Jove, sir, that was a brilliant idea of yours--those
rockets!"

Meanwhile the rescued men were crouching in the bottom of the boat,
silent, some of them with their faces buried in their hands, some lying
back as though dazed, with their eyes closed. And one of these last, I
noticed, had the fingers of his two hands locked together, and his lips
were moving, as though he prayed, or were returning thanks to God for
his deliverance. Presently he opened his eyes, and his gaze met mine
full. I noticed that he flushed slightly, as though ashamed at having
been detected, so I nodded to him and said:

"No need to be ashamed, my good fellow, if you were thanking God for His
mercy. We have, every one of us, abundant reason to be thankful to-
day."

"Yes, sir," said he, "and I even more, perhaps, than the rest. They was
makin' ready to begin upon me when you broke in upon 'em." And
therewith he burst into a violently hysterical passion of tears, the
result, doubtless, of the reaction arising from his sudde