to a wild enough place, Rob, my lad," he said; "but I don't
think we wish to change."

"Oh! no," said Rob, in a whisper. "One can't help being a bit
frightened sometimes, but it is grand even if we see nothing more."

Shaddy uttered a low, jerky sound, which was meant for a laugh.

"See nothing more, lad!" he cried. "Why, look here, you may go hundreds
of miles to the south, the west and the north, and it's all savage land
that man has hardly ever crossed. Don't you think there's something
more to be seen there? Why, who knows but what we may come upon strange
wild beasts such as nobody has ever set eyes on before, and--Why, what's
the matter with our young skipper?"

Joe was opposite to him, staring wildly, his eyelids so drawn back that
he showed a circle of white around the irises, and his lips were apart
from his teeth.

"Why, what's the matter, lad? They haven't put any poison stuff in your
victuals, have they?"

Joe made no reply, but sat staring wildly still, not at Shaddy, but in
the direction of the river beyond.

"What's the matter, my lad?" said Brazier.

"I know!" cried Shaddy; "where's your guns? It's them 'gators coming up
out of the water, and it's what I expected."

"No, no," whispered the boy excitedly: "look lower!"

All followed his pointing finger, but for the moment they could see
nothing, one of the men having thrown some fresh fuel upon the fire,
which was emitting more smoke than blaze.

"Hi! one of you!" cried Shaddy, "stir that fire."

One of the men seized the end of a burning limb, shook it about a
little, and a roar of flame ascended skyward, lighting up the river and
the trees beyond, but above all, striking just upon the rotten trunk
through which Rob fell. There they saw a something glistening and
horrible, as it swayed and undulated and rose and fell, with its neck
all waves and its eyes sparkling in the golden blaze of the fire. Now
it sank down till it was almost hidden among the parasitic plants; now
it slowly rose, arching its neck, and apparently watching the party near
the fire; while moment by moment its aspect was so menacing that Joe
thought it would launch itself upon them and seize one to appease its
rage.

"It's--it's come back!" he whispered faintly.

"Not it," growled Shaddy; "this one's twice as big as t'other. It's its
father or mother, p'r'aps. Better have a shot at it, sir."

"Yes," said Brazier, slowly raising his gun, "but this light is so