ke to entrance and overpower the senses of the beholder. It
was not until they had stood for more than an hour gazing at this
glorious spectacle, that either of the travellers could tear themselves
from the spot, to seek the rest which overwearied nature demanded.

On the following morning they were awakened by De Walden at an earlier
hour than usual. "We must lose no time," he said, "in crossing the
river. It is not so high as I expected to find it, and at the point for
which we must make, we can get over without much difficulty. But it is
on one of the channels which just now are almost dry, that I fear we may
encounter difficulty. The sky looked threatening last night, and if it
had not been too late I should have attempted the passage. It looks
worse this morning. I am half afraid there must be rain further up the
country; and if such be the case, the river may suddenly rise so
rapidly, that it will be next to impossible to escape it. We have not a
moment to lose."

They hurried on under his directions, Lion following, and in an hour's
time had reached a narrow part of the stream, which was there further
diminished by an island in mid-channel. The latter was steep and
narrow, having evidently been worn away by the action of successive
ages, until scarcely more than ten feet of it remained. Against the
craggy peaks into which it rose, several massive trees had lodged during
some former flood, and had been left by the subsiding waters at a height
of eight or ten feet above their present level. They formed a kind of
rude bridge, which might be safely traversed by any one whose nerves
were firm enough to attempt the feat.

Calling to Lavie to follow him, De Walden laid down his rifle and
climbed up the mossy roots of one of the largest of these wrecks of the
forest, till he had reached the first fork of the branches. Here he
stopped, and waited till Lavie was within six feet or so of him, when he
signed him to stop also. Warley followed, and then Frank, and lastly
Nick; each taking up his station a few feet off from his nearest
companion. Nick then passed along the various articles from hand to
hand, until they reached De Walden, who secured them by thongs to the
upper branch of the fork, and then climbed on till he had reached the
island, when the same process was repeated.

In this manner, in about an hour's time, they passed safely over the
central stream, and began descending the bank on the other s