kers into greater
difficulties. It was plain enough that the river must be near, for
their steps were in and out among the dense patches of cane and over
soft spongy soil into which their feet sank slightly, the earth being
springy and elastic; but though Murray expected to see the dense foliage
open out and the brake look lighter from the presence of the river, he
was disappointed again and again, and to all intents and purposes the
stream had ceased to exist.

For some minutes, as Murray strode on, the steps of his companions were
audible in two directions, and making up his mind to proceed in that
being taken by May, he struck off so as to cross the man's track.

This seemed practicable enough for a while, and he went on till the
brake began to grow more dense and he had to force his way through the
thicket. Then to his disgust he found himself entangled in a little
wilderness of thorny palms, out of which he had a hard struggle to free
himself, and he stood at last, panting and exhausted, rubbing the
bleeding spots beneath the rents in his garments which asserted
themselves plainly.

Murray rubbed himself and listened, and then listened and rubbed, but he
could not hear a sound.

"Let me see," he thought. "Oh, how vexatious, just when we ought to be
close to the boat and sending her down stream! Must be this way where I
heard Tom May--if it was Tom May. Well, it doesn't matter if it was
Titely. Let's get to either of them, and then we'll hail the other."

The lad hesitated for a few minutes longer, listening hard the while,
and then more in passion than in despair he started off in a bee line
through the thick canes, hopefully now, for the earth felt softer than
before.

"Must be right here; and as soon as I reach the river I have only to see
which way the stream runs and follow it down to where the boat lies.
Oh, look sharp, old fellow," he muttered, "for this is horrible."

He increased his pace, with the earth certainly growing softer, and then
he pulled up short, turned and darted back, for as he stepped forward
the soft spongy earth seemed suddenly to have grown horny and hard and
to heave up beneath his feet, convincing him that he had stepped upon
one of the horrible alligators of the Western swamps. There was a
violent splashing, the reptile struck to right and left, mowing down the
canes, and the midshipman, suffering from a sensation of horror and
creepiness, stopped at last, panting.

"Wh