ass was carried off in triumph by a school of the late
saurian's neighbours.

"They appear tae have vera healthy appetites," murmured Stewart
thoughtfully, as he gazed at the ravenous monsters, after an exhibition
of this sort. "A wunner," he continued, addressing Skelton, "if they
bastes are affected by the climate?"

"You've got me there, Stewart," replied Skelton, with a laugh; "but they
don't seem to need quinine to aid their digestion, anyhow."

Birds of the most beautiful plumage fluttered among the branches, and I
had the good fortune to bring down a gorgeous bird of paradise with my
rifle. Mac, like the ancient mariner, insisted on carrying this bird
round his neck rather than leave it for the tigers and bisons, though he
repented of his resolution before he had gone far. Of the wild animals
encountered on this march I could write much. Fortunately the lordly
tiger seldom met us in an aggressive mood, but we had several
experiences with "Old Stripes," nevertheless--at long range; and we were
constantly stumbling over squeaking pigs and venomous reptiles of many
kinds. Little brown animals of the bear family were especially
ubiquitous, so that our time was kept rather fully employed on our long
trail towards the supposed land of El Dorado.

As we neared the shadowy mountains, the river-channel narrowed
gradually until it formed a deep gorge, in which the swirling waters
dashed like the flood of some gigantic mill-race; and we were forced to
keep the shelter of the forest rather than risk stumbling into the
apparently bottomless abysses.

"I'm afraid we cannot go much farther, boys," I said, when we were
struggling through the thicket, steering by compass, and with the river
thundering noisily away to our left.

"The gold in the mountains won't help us much if we have to transport
our goods over this sort of country," spoke Phil; and there was much
truth in his words.

"I have been noticing," remarked Skelton, "that instead of reaching a
finer climate we seem to be coming into a very poisonous atmosphere,
judging by the odour of the vegetation."

It was certainly strange that the air should continue so dank and
depressing at our high altitude, and several times a most extraordinary
stench, as of decaying carcasses, would assail our nostrils and cause us
to grow faint and sickly. Soon we began to notice that these poisonous
vapours were most pungent in the vicinity of certain enormous
cactus-like growths