f phosphorescent light.

"Are you hurt?" asked Bearwarden, helping him up.

"Not in the least," replied Cortlandt. "What surprises me is that I am
not. The weight of that boa-constrictor would be very great on earth,
and here I should think it would be simply crushing."

Groping their way through the rapidly growing darkness, they reached
the raft without further adventure, and, once on the lake, had plenty
of light. Two moons, one at three quarters and the other full, shone
brightly, while the water was alive with gymnotuses and other luminous
creatures. Sitting and living upon the cross-timbers, they looked up
at the sky. The Great Bear and the north star had exactly the same
relation to each other as when seen from the earth, while the other
constellations and the Milky Way looked identically as when they had so
often gazed at them before, and some idea of the immensity of space was
conveyed to them. Here was no change; though they had travelled three
hundred and eighty million miles, there was no more perceptible
difference than if they had not moved a foot. Perhaps, they thought,
to the telescopes--if there are any--among the stars, the sun was seen
to be accompanied by two small, dark companions, for Jupiter and Saturn
might be visible, or perhaps it seemed merely as a slightly variable
star, in years when sun-spots were numerous, or as the larger planets
in their revolutions occasionally intercepted a part of its light. As
they floated along they noticed a number of what they took to be
Will-o'-the-wisps. Several of these great globules of pale flame
hovered about them in the air, near the surface of the water, and anon
they rose till they hung above the trees, apparently having no forward
or horizontal motion except when taken by the gentle breeze, merely
sinking and rising.

"How pretty they are!" said Cortlandt, as they watched them. "For
bodies consisting of marsh gas, they hold together wonderfully."

Presently one alighted on the water near them. It was considerably
brighter than any glow-worm, and somewhat larger than an arc lamp,
being nearly three feet in diameter; it did not emit much light, but
would itself have been visible from a considerable distance. Cortlandt
tried to touch it with a raft-pole, but could not reach far enough.
Presently a large fish approached it, swimming near the surface of the
water. When it was close to the Jack-o'-lantern, or whatever it was,
there was a spla