interest as we proceeded. Marian was delighted, and was
continually crying out, "Oh, what a lovely flower!--what a graceful
tree!--see that magnificent bird!--oh, what a gorgeous butterfly!" till
she had exhausted her vocabulary of suitable epithets.

At length we reached a spot where the far-extending buttressed roots of
an enormous tree completely impeded our progress; and steering up to it,
we made our log fast, and stepped, I cannot say on shore, but on the
roots of the tree. We had little doubt, indeed, that could we have
penetrated through the mass of foliage, we should soon have reached dry
ground. It was now time for our evening meal, and therefore, before
proceeding further, we sat down to partake of it. The captain intended,
if possible, afterwards to try to work the log through by towing, or
else to build a small raft, and, with one or two companions, explore the
passage still further on.

We had a number of spectators at our repast; for no sooner were we
quietly seated, than troops of monkeys, attracted by the strange
spectacle we presented--to their eyes, at all events--came from every
side through the forest, swinging from bough to bough, or scrambling
along the sepos, to have a look at us. There they sat above our heads,
chattering away as if talking of us and making their observations.
Quacko looked up, and answered them in their own language; at which they
seemed very much surprised. Some were induced, by what he said, I
suppose, to come down much closer; and had we been so inclined, we might
have shot several with our arrows. That, however, would have been a
treacherous return for the confidence they showed; and we did not,
happily for them, require food. I very much doubt, had such been the
case, that we should have allowed them to escape.

Kallolo and Maco, observing that we had no fruit remaining, volunteered
to make their way into the forest, to try to find some. Uncle Paul, for
Marian's sake, accepted their offer. It required great agility and
practical experience for anyone to scramble among the interlacing boughs
and network of sepos, without the almost certainty of tumbling into the
water. They went off armed with their spears, and their long knives
stuck in their girdles, saying that they would soon make their
appearance again. We meantime, having finished the more substantial
part of our meal, scrambled up to the huge roots of the tree where we
had first landed, and sat down to