through the thick
undergrowth of a forest like that, purely upon the off-chance of
stumbling up against something interesting enough to shoot or look at;
while you would enjoy nothing better."

"Excuse me, gentlemen," interposed Sir Reginald; "but a moment's
reflection, I think, will serve to convince you that, as your host, _I_
am the man who--"

"No, no," interrupted Mildmay, "that plea won't do at all, my dear
fellow; it is altogether too thin! You, like Lethbridge and the
professor--to say nothing of Colonel Sziszkinski--would be in your
element prowling through that forest; while, as for me--well, I should
not go from choice, in any case. So there you are!"

"Do you really mean that, Mildmay?" demanded Sir Reginald.

"Yes, upon my honour, I do," assented the skipper. "I must confess," he
continued, "that I have a very strong predilection for a clear horizon
and an unimpeded view of the sky overhead, whether I happen to be ashore
or afloat. Besides, it is not as though you needed me, you know; in
that case it would be very different, of course. But--well, I think I
have fully made out my contention that, if it is necessary for either of
us to remain aboard, I am the man."

"Very well; then that is settled," agreed Sir Reginald. "Now, the
question that next suggests itself is this: Are we to leave the ship
here, and endeavour to penetrate the forest from this point; or should
we take the ship into the heart of the forest, and use her as our
headquarters from which to make short day excursions? There is
something to be said in favour of either plan. For example, in
considering the first plan I mentioned, we all noticed a number of
native villages as we came along. Two or three of these are only a few
miles distant; and it might be possible for us to engage any number of
those fellows to serve as bearers, to carry our _impedimenta_ for us,
cut a path through the undergrowth, and so on. Under such conditions we
should certainly see far more of the forest than we can possibly hope to
do by adopting the other plan. Plan number two, on the other hand,
appears to offer us the better chance to reach the heart of the forest.
Now, what say you, gentlemen? Which plan appeals to you the more
strongly? Or has either of you an alternative to suggest?"

"Let us try the second plan; and if that proves unsatisfactory we can
always fall back upon the first," said the professor. And so it was
arranged.

According