the
other side, round to the wide clearing where they had passed the
previous night.

Plans in unknown waters are more easily made than carried out.

They had halted for a short time at the foot of a majestic tree, one
evidently of great age, and draped from where its lower boughs almost
touched the water right to the crown with parasitic growth, much of
which consisted of the particular family of flowers Brazier had made his
expedition to collect.

Here several splendid specimens were cut from a huge drooping bough
which was held down by the men while the collector operated with a handy
little axe, bringing down as well insects innumerable, many of which
were of a stinging nature, and, to the dismay of both boys, first one
and then another brilliantly marked snake of some three feet long and
exceedingly slender.

These active little tree-climbers set to at once to find a hiding-place,
and at once it became the task of all the band to prevent this
unsatisfactory proceeding, no one present looking forward with
satisfaction to the prospect of having snakes as fellow-travellers,
especially poisonous ones. But they were soon hunted out and thrown by
means of a stick right away into the water, but not to drown, for they
took to it, swimming as actively and well as an eel.

"Why, that last fellow will reach one of those boughs and get back into
a tree again," cried Joe.

"If a fish does not treat him like a worm," said Rob; and he did not
feel at all hopeful about the little reptile's fate.

But the next minute he had to think of his own.

One minute the boat was being propelled gently through the still waters
amongst the great lily leaves; the next they were in sight of the exit,
and something appeared to give the boat a sudden jerk.

"Alligator?" asked Rob excitedly.

"Stream!" growled Shaddy, seizing an oar and rowing with all his might
just as they were being swept rapidly down the lower river, the trees
gliding by them and the men appearing to have no power whatever to check
the boat's way as it glided on faster and faster, leaving the open lake
the next minute quite out of sight.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

IN A TROPIC STORM.

Rob and Joe looked at each other quite aghast as the boat was literally
snatched away out of the boatmen's control and went tearing down the
river. For, beside the alteration in their plans, there was the fire
waiting, all glowing embers, that would cook to perfection; there were
w