ht, for the danger from fire
was great. Fortunately the lamp had been extinguished in its fall, so
that, beyond an overpowering smell of petroleum and the destruction of a
good many specimens, no serious results ensued.

After securing the _Coelops frithii_, removing the shattered glass,
wiping up the oil, and putting chairs and tables on their legs, the
professor was urged to go to bed,--advice which, in his excitement, he
refused to take until it was suggested that, if he did not, he would be
totally unfit for exploring the forest next day.

"Vy, it is next day already!" he exclaimed, consulting his watch.

"Just so. Now _do_ turn in."

"I vill."

And he did.

CHAPTER XVIII.

A TRYING ORDEAL--DANGER THREATENS AND FLIGHT AGAIN RESOLVED ON.

When the early birds are singing, and the early mists are scattering,
and the early sun is rising to gladden, as with the smile of God, all
things with life in earth and sea and sky--then it is that early-rising
man goes forth to reap the blessings which his lazy fellow-man fails to
appreciate or enjoy.

Among the early risers that morning was our friend Moses. Gifted with an
inquiring mind, the negro had proceeded to gratify his propensities by
making inquiries of a general nature, and thus had acquired, among other
things, the particular information that the river on the banks of which
the village stood was full of fish. Now, Moses was an ardent angler.

"I lub fishing," he said one day to Nigel when in a confidential mood;
"I can't tell you how much I lub it. Seems to me dat der's nuffin' like
it for proggin' a man!"

When Nigel demanded an explanation of what proggin' meant, Moses said
he wasn't quite sure. He could "understand t'ings easy enough though he
couldn't allers 'splain 'em." On the whole he thought that prog had a
compound meaning--it was a combination of poke and pull "wid a flavour
ob ticklin' about it," and was rather pleasant.

"You see," he continued, "when a leetle fish plays wid your hook, it
progs your intellec' an' tickles up your fancy a leetle. When he grabs
you, dat progs your hopes a good deal. When a big fish do de same, dat
progs you deeper. An' when a real walloper almost pulls you into de
ribber, dat progs your heart up into your t'roat, where it stick till
you land him."

With surroundings and capacities such as we have attempted to describe,
it is no wonder that Moses sat down on the river-bank and enjoyed
himself, in compan