h we knew perfectly well without his assistance. Directly we
entered the forest I saw him making all sorts of extraordinary gestures,
and after going on a little way I observed that he had taken off his
shirt. A minute afterwards, what was my surprise on turning round to
see him holding his trousers in his hand; then, flourishing them for an
instant in the air, he pitched them on to the bough of a tree, where
they hung fluttering in the breeze, while he bounded forward, as if
delighted at finding himself free of the garments which had so long
proved irksome to him. I hailed Mudge, and asked him whether he ought
not to be told to go back and get his clothes.

"Let him alone," was the answer; "he is only following the bent of his
nature; he is perfectly welcome to run naked if he likes, though I
suspect that when we come to cross the tops of the hills he will be
sorry that he got rid of them."

So strange, however, were the black's antics, that I began to fear he
had lost his senses. He shouted and laughed, and tumbled head over
heels, and skipped, and jumped about in the most extraordinary manner,
as if rejoicing in his regained freedom.

"I suppose he fancies that his clothes will hang there till he comes
back, when he intends to appear decently, I hope, at the camp," I
remarked.

"I don't think he troubles himself about the future," answered Mudge;
"he just now feels as much satisfaction at being without his clothes, as
you or I would in getting a warm bath and putting on a clean shirt and
trousers."

We were some time in making our way through the forest, Pullingo not
taking any special trouble to pick out the best path. We had expected
almost immediately to commence our ascent of the mountain, but on
emerging from the forest we saw before us a valley, with a broad stream
flowing through it. By the rapidity of the current we judged that it
made a direct course to the sea; and it was evidently far too deep to
allow us to hope that we could wade across it.

We pointed it out to Pullingo, who had now become a little more quiet,
and asked him how he proposed to cross the river. He at once turned
back, and going towards a huge old stringy-bark tree which stood out
some way from the rest, stripped off two large pieces of bark, which he
invited us to assist in carrying down to the water's edge. He then,
looking about, got some long grass of a peculiar nature, with which he
quickly manufactured some strong twin