got towards it the more beautiful it became; but also the
more stormy were the reaches of water they had to traverse.

A lovely country indeed! It sloped gently down to the water's edge,
and beautiful trees were scattered over it, soft, mossy grass grew
everywhere, great old laburnum trees stretched their boughs down in
patches over the water, and higher up camellias, almost as large as
hawthorns, grew together and mingled their red and white flowers.

The country was not so open as a park,--it was more like a half-cleared
woodland; but there was a wide space just where the boat was steering
for, that had no trees, only a few flowering shrubs. Here groups of
strange-looking people were bustling about, and there were shrill
fifes sounding, and drums.

Farther back he saw rows of booths or tents under the shade of the
trees.

In another place some people dressed like gypsies had made fires of
sticks just at the skirts of the woodland, and were boiling their
pots. Some of these had very gaudy tilted carts, hung all over with
goods, such as baskets, brushes, mats, little glasses, pottery, and
beads.

It seemed to be a kind of fair, to which people had gathered from all
parts; but there was not one house to be seen. All the goods were
either hung upon trees or collected in strange-looking tents.

The people were not all of the same race; indeed, he thought the only
human beings were the gypsies, for the folks who had tents were no
taller than himself.

How hot it was that morning! and as the boat pushed itself into a
little creek, and made its way among the beds of yellow and purple
iris which skirted the brink, what a crowd of dragon-flies and large
butterflies rose from them!

"Stay where you are!" cried Jack to the boat; and at that instant such
a splendid moth rose slowly, that he sprang on shore after it, and
quite forgot the fair and the people in his desire to follow it.

The moth settled on a great red honey-flower, and he stole up to look
at it. As large as a swallow, it floated on before him. Its wings were
nearly black, and they had spots of gold on them.

When it rose again Jack ran after it, till he found himself close to
the rows of tents where the brown people stood; and they began to cry
out to him, "What'll you buy? what'll you buy, sir?" and they crowded
about him, so that he soon lost sight of the moth, and forgot
everything else in his surprise at the booths.

They were full of splendid thi