ar soon. That's iguana, and as good as
chicken. Ready?"

Rob nodded.

"Keep behind the trees, then, and creep slowly forward till you are
pretty close--I daresay you'll be able to--and then aim at his shoulder,
and send the arrow right through."

"I will," said Rob drily, "if I can."

"Make up your mind to it, my lad. We want that sort of food."

"You may," thought Rob as he began to stalk the curious old-world,
dragon-like beast, which was running about the boughs of a great tree in
complete ignorance of the neighbourhood of human beings, probably even
of their existence.

The lad's heart beat heavily as he crept from tree to tree in full want
of faith as to his ability to draw a bow-string with effect; for his
experience only extended to watching ladies shooting at targets in an
archery meeting; and as he drew nearer, stepping very softly from
shelter to shelter and then peering out to watch the reptile, he had an
admirable opportunity for noting its shape and peculiarities, none of
which created an appetite for trying its chicken-like flesh. He gazed
at a formidable-looking animal with wide mouth, a hideous pouch beneath
its jaw, and a ridge of sharp-looking, teeth-like spines along its back
ending in a long, fine, bony tail. These, with its fierce eye and scaly
skin, and a habit of inflating itself, made it appear an object which
might turn and attack an aggressor.

This struck Rob very strongly as he stopped at last peering round the
bole of a huge tree. He was about thirty yards from the lizard now, and
in a position which commanded its side as it stood gazing straight
before it at some object, bird or insect, in front.

It was just the position for resting the bow-arm against the tree for
steadiness of aim, and feeling that he could do no better, but doubtful
of his skill and quite as doubtful of the likelihood of the wooden
arrow-head piercing the glistening skin of the iguana, Rob took a
careful aim, as he drew his arrow to his ear in good old archer style,
and let his missile fly.

Roughly made, unfeathered, and sent by a tyro, it was no wonder that it
flew far wide of the mark, striking a bough away to the left and then
dropping from twig to twig till it reached the undergrowth below.

Where it struck was some distance from the lizard, and the sound and the
falling of the reed gave it the idea that the danger point was there, so
that it directed its attention in that quarter, stood very erec