the men, terrified,
pulled as hard as they could, while two of them baled out the boat, to
gain the shore, for we knew what fate awaited us if we sunk in the
river. With great exertion we succeeded, running her up among the
canes, with grew on that side of the river so thick that it was
difficult to force your way through them.

We landed up to our knees in mud, and, throwing out the ivory, we
found that a whole plank was rent out, and that it was impossible to
repair our boat; and we were hidden by the canes from those who could
have assisted us, had they known that we required their assistance,
and we had no possible means of communication. At last I thought that
if I could force my way through the canes to the point down the river,
I could hail and make signals for assistance; and, desiring the men to
remain by the boat, I set off upon my expedition. At first I got on
pretty well, as there were little paths through the canes, made, as I
imagined, by the natives; and, although I was often up to my knees in
thick black mud, I continued to get on pretty fast; but at last the
canes grew so thick that I could hardly force my way through them, and
it was a work of excessive labour. Still I persevered, expecting each
second that I should arrive at the banks of the river, and be rewarded
for my fatigue; but the more I laboured the worse it appeared to be,
and at last I became worn out with fatigue, and quite bewildered. I
then tried to find my way back, and was equally unsuccessful, and I
sat down with any thing but pleasant thoughts in my mind. I calculated
that I had been two hours in making this attempt, and was now quite
puzzled how to proceed. I bitterly lamented my rashness, now that it
was too late.

Having reposed a little, I resumed my toil, and was again, after an
hour's exertion, compelled, from fatigue, to sit down in the deep
black mud. Another respite from toil, and another hour or more of
exertion, and I gave myself up for lost. The day was evidently fast
closing in--the light overhead was not near so bright as it had been;
and I knew that a night passed in the miasma of the cane was death. At
last it became darker and darker. There could not be an hour of
daylight remaining. I determined upon one more struggle, and, reeking
as I was with perspiration and faint with fatigue, I rose again, and
was forcing my way through the thickest of the canes, when I heard a
deep growl, and perceived a large panther not t