s to have suffered, it behoves me to get my frame into a fit state
to stand it. I shall therefore try to sleep."

So saying he turned round on his side, and we left him to his slumbers.

As it was still early in the afternoon, we two shouldered our rifles and
strolled away into the woods, partly with the intention of taking a shot
at anything that might chance to come in our way, but chiefly with the
view of having a pleasant chat about our prospect of speedily reaching
that goal of our ambition--the gorilla country.

"It seems to me," observed Peterkin, as we walked side by side over an
open grassy and flower-speckled plain that lay about a couple of miles
distant from the village--"it seems to me that we shall _never_ reach
this far-famed country."

"I have no doubt that we shall," said I; "but tell me, Peterkin, do you
really doubt the existence of the gorilla?"

"Well, since you do put it to me so very seriously, I can scarce tell
what I believe. The fact is, that I'm such a sceptical wretch by nature
that I find it difficult to believe anything unless I see it."

I endeavoured to combat this very absurd state of mind in my companion
by pointing out to him very clearly that if he were to act upon such a
principle at all times, he would certainly disbelieve many of the
commonest facts in nature, and give full credit, on the other hand, to
the most outrageous absurdities.

"For instance," said I, "you would believe that every conjurer swallows
fire, and smoke, and penknives, and rabbits, because you _see_ him do
it; and you would disbelieve the existence of the pyramids, because you
don't happen to have seen them."

"Ralph," said my companion seriously, "don't go in too deep, else I
shall be drowned!"

I was about to make some reply, when my attention was attracted by a
very singular appearance of moisture at the foot of a fig-tree under
which we were passing. Going up to it I found that there was a small
puddle of clear water near the trunk. This occasioned me much surprise,
for no rain had fallen in that district since our arrival, and probably
there had been none for a long period before that. The ground
everywhere, except in the large rivers and water-courses, was quite dry,
insomuch that, as I have said, this little solitary pool (which was not
much larger than my hand) occasioned us much surprise.

"How comes it there?" said I.

"That's more than I can tell," replied Peterkin. "Perhaps there's