more, the villages of the natives not upon the coast are nearly always
upon the rivers.

Of course, on the other hand, there were plenty of dangers to be risked
by following a river's course: fever, noxious beast and insect, inimical
natives, and the like; but if we had paused to think of the dangers, we
might very well have shrunk from our task, so we put thoughts of that
kind behind us and journeyed on.

At first, after getting through a dense patch of forest, we came upon
open plains, and a part of the country that looked like a park; and as I
trudged on with fresh objects of interest springing up at every turn, I
found myself wondering whether my poor father had passed this way, and
as I grew weary I began to take the most desponding views of the
venture, and to think that, after all, perhaps he was dead.

That we were in a part not much troubled by human beings we soon found
by the tameness of the birds and the number of deer that dashed
frightened away from time to time, hardly giving us a glimpse of their
dappled skins before they were lost in the jungly growth.

The walking had grown more difficult as the day wore on, and at last the
great trees began to give place to vegetation of a different kind.
Instead of timber we were walking amongst palm-like growth and plants
with enormous succulent leaves. Great climbers twined and twisted one
with another, unless they found some tree up which they seemed to force
their way to reach the open sunshine, forming a splendid shelter from
the ardent rays when we wished to rest.

There was no attempt during the morning to make use of our guns, for at
first we moved watchfully, always on the look-out for enemies, seeing
danger in every moving leaf, and starting at every rustling dash made by
some frightened animal that crossed our path.

By degrees, though, we grew more confident, but still kept up our
watchfulness, halting at mid-day beside a little clear stream in a spot
so lovely that it struck me as being a shame that no one had a home
there to revel in its beauties.

The water ran bubbling along amongst mossy rocks, and overhung by
gigantic ferns. There were patches of the greenest grass, and close by,
offering us shade, was a clump of large trees whose branches strewed
brightly coloured flowers to the earth. A flock of gorgeously plumaged
birds were noisily chattering and shrieking in the branches, and though
they fled on our first coming, they came back direct