han was supposed to exist."

"I hope, then, that we shall be able to find some food," said Halliday;
"I am terribly hungry and thirsty. Don't you think that we may by
chance have got to the mouth of a river, and so may soon find fresh
water?"

"This, at all events, is salt enough," said Boxall, lifting a handful to
his lips. "No; it is merely a lagoon filled by the ocean."

We waded on and on, but the shore appeared no nearer.

"We may have a fearfully long way to swim, should the water grow
deeper," observed Halliday.

"If it does, we can easily return to the rock and wait till the low tide
during daylight, when we shall be better able to judge what course to
take," I observed.

As I said this I turned round to look at the rock, and to see how far we
were from it, when what was my astonishment to be unable to distinguish
it! Behind us the lagoon appeared to stretch out to an illimitable
distance, without a single object rising above the surface. To attempt
to return would have been madness, as we should certainly have lost our
way; we therefore could do nothing else than push boldly forward. The
sand below our feet was smooth and even, but walking in water almost up
to our middle was fatiguing work, and we made but slow progress. Still
on and on we went, when suddenly we saw before us a high conical hill,
and directly afterwards a bright light appeared beyond it. Presently
the upper circle of the full moon rose behind the hill, though it seemed
six times the size of any moon I ever saw; indeed, I could scarcely
believe that it was the moon.

"I suppose that the African moons are much larger than those of any
other part of the world. At all events, that is a whopper," exclaimed
Halliday, without considering what he was saying.

"It will give us light to see our way," observed Boxall, "and we should
be thankful for it. We had better keep to our right, however, where the
shore seems somewhat lower."

He was turning aside, and I was about to follow him, when Halliday
exclaimed--

"Look! look! what can that terrific creature be?"

We turned our eyes towards the summit of the hill, and to our horror saw
an enormous animal with arched back and glaring eyes--so we pictured
it--gazing down upon us, seemingly prepared to make a terrific leap
right down on our heads. Such a creature I had never even read of; for
it looked far larger than any ordinary elephant, and might have
swallowed us all at a gulp.