we
entered the brake, sinking to our knees at every stride, and feeling to
our horror that the ooze beneath our feet was alive with little
reptiles.

"Make haste, Tom!" I cried, shuddering in spite of my efforts to drive
away the tremor I felt.

Tom responded to my words, and we were pushing and forcing our way on,
when the horror that was oppressing me would have its way, and--be it
boyish, unmanly, what you will--I gave vent to a cry, torn from me by
the extreme dread I felt as my further progress was stayed by something
invisible to me amongst the thick reeds, suddenly seizing me by the leg.

CHAPTER FORTY.

MY UNCLE'S ADVENTURE.

"Let me get a shot at him, Mas'r Harry!" cried Tom excitedly. "Hold
up--don't go down, whatever you do. It's one of them great beasts--I
know it is. There's thousands of 'em here."

As if to prove the truth of Tom's words, one of the monsters dashed,
half-running, half-wallowing, by us while, completely unnerved, I could
do nothing but stand motionless as Tom beat the canes aside and tried to
get a clear view of that which held me.

"Why, Mas'r Harry!" he exclaimed in tones I could hardly understand,
"who ever saw such a game as this?"

Tom's words brought me to myself, and, looking down, I found that which
clasped me so tightly was a man's hand--my uncle's!

Angry with myself for my cowardice, the next moment I was down upon my
knees helping to extricate him from the position in which he lay, with
one arm still bound to his side, and the dark cloth garment from which
Tom had shaken the gold bound round and round his head and face,
effectually gagging him; and if the intention of his captors had been to
suffocate him, they had nearly effected their purpose.

"Uncle!" I exclaimed, as I held his head up and he began to draw his
breath more freely.

"I thought it was all over, my boy, when I heard your voice," he said
faintly, and evidently not without considerable effort.

With some difficulty we got him upon his legs; but until we had
thoroughly chafed them he could not take a step, so tight had been the
bonds with which he had been confined.

But at last he seemed to exert himself to the utmost; and, sometimes
leaning on Tom's arm, sometimes on mine, we went slowly along the track
we had made to the great prostrate tree, where, after a hasty glance
around to make certain that no serpents were in the way, we sat down to
rest, and my uncle, unasked, began to speak.