our appearance, flew a number of pigeons and other birds of
beautiful plumage, backwards and forwards. The water was intensely
blue, and beautifully clear.

"I should not be surprised but what this is one of the lakes I have
heard speak of which has no bottom," observed Dick Tarbox. "They say
that water-spirits and monsters of all sorts live in some of them. I do
not know what they would think at our coming among them."

"I have heard of lakes without bottoms, but I have always found, on
fathoming them, that they were not so deep as was supposed," observed my
uncle. "I should like to try this one. It may be very deep, but I
suspect that it is much shallower than from the top of these cliffs down
to where we stand. What should you say, boatswain, if the rope you hold
in your hand, with a stone fastened to it, would reach the bottom and
give you some feet to spare?"

"Well, sir, you know better than I do; but I should be surprised if by
fastening all the ropes we have together we found soundings."

At last it was agreed that we should build a raft and try. We had ample
materials; for in one corner was a large grove of bamboos, and plenty of
other light wood trees growing about. We soon cut down some of the
larger bamboos, with ratan to secure the cross pieces, and had an amply
buoyant raft to carry one person out into the centre. I begged that I
might go on it, but Dick Tarbox said he would make the expedition. He
soon had a paddle formed out of bamboo, and sitting down on his somewhat
frail bark, away he went, with a coil of rope before him, to which a
stone was attached, into the middle of the lake. We all watched him
eagerly as he let down the stone, when lo, and behold, long before the
rope had run out, the stone had reached the bottom.

"There must be a rock out here!" he exclaimed. "It cannot be so shallow
as this." Again he pulled up his stone, and pulled away between the
centre and the shore. "Soundings again!" he cried; "and rather less
than in the middle. I cannot make it out."

He now paddled round and round the lake, dropping the stone every now
and then, and at length came round to the spot where he had embarked.

"You are satisfied now," said Mr Sedgwick. "I have generally found it
to be the case that lakes which are reputed fathomless are like this
one."

We all in turns had a paddle on the lake, and as the raft was found
large enough to support fully a couple of men, Emily and Grace