ood, and then drop slowly down the river again."

"What's that?" said Brazier, looking up from his work. "That will not
do, Naylor; we should miss no end of good plants."

"Well, sir, better do that than get into a row with any of the natives
here," growled Shaddy.

"Why, you said there were no Indians near."

"Tchah! I mean the other natives--'sects and rept'les and what not.
But there, if we put a rope to the end of that largest tree and anchor
ourselves yonder I don't suppose we shall hurt. Eh? All right," he
cried, in answer to a hint from the men; "supper's ready, gentlemen."

"And so are we," said Rob with alacrity; and he leaped off the gunwale
on to the tree trunk by whose side it was moored.

To all appearance it was a solid-looking stem of tons in weight, but
covered with mosses, creepers, and orchids, which pretty well hid its
bark.

Rob's intention was to run along it to the root end, which stood up
close to the fire; but, to his intense astonishment, he crashed through
what was a mere outer shell of bark into so much dust and touchwood
right up to the armpits, where he stuck, with a hedge of plants
half-covering his face.

Joe burst out into a fit of laughing, in which Rob joined as soon as the
first startled sensation was over.

"Who'd have thought of that?" he cried. "But, I say, I'm fast. Come
and lend me a hand. I thought it was a great solid trunk, and all
inside here you can see it looks as if it were on fire. Oh! oh! Ah!
Help!"

"What's the matter?" cried Brazier excitedly, as Shaddy and he stepped
cautiously to the boy's side, Joe having already mounted on the tree
trunk. "Not on fire, are you?"

"No, no," gasped Rob in agonised tones; and, speaking in a frightened
whisper, "There's something alive in here."

"Nippers o' some kind, eh?"

"No, no," cried Rob faintly; "I can feel it moving. Oh! help! It's a
snake."

As he spoke there was a curious scuffling noise inside, as if something
was struggling to extricate itself, and Shaddy lost no time. Bending
down, he seized Rob by the chest under the armpits, stooped lower, gave
one heave, and lifted him right out; when, following close upon his
legs, the head of a great serpent was thrust up, to look threateningly
round for a moment. The next, the creature was gliding down through the
dense coating of parasitical growth, and before gun could be fetched
from the cabin, or weapon raised, the rustling and movement on the side