of eyes glancing at him from the other side of the
fire. Close to them another pair, then another and another, until
having looked on every side, he saw himself surrounded by a complete
circle of glancing eyes! It is true they were small ones, and some of
the heads which he could see by the blaze, were small--they were not
jaguars, but they had an ugly look--they looked like the heads of
serpents! Was it possible that an hundred serpents could have
surrounded the camp? Brought suddenly to his feet, Leon stood for some
moments uncertain how to act. He fully believed they were snakes--
anacondas, or water-snakes no doubt--that had just crept out of the
river; and he felt that a movement on his part would bring on their
united and simultaneous attack upon the sleeping party. Partly
influenced by this fear, and again exhibiting that coolness and prudence
which we have already noticed as a trait of his character, he remained
for some moments silent and motionless. Having already risen to his
feet, his eyes were now above the level of the blaze, and, as they got
the sleep well scared out of them, he could see things more distinctly.
He now saw that the snake-like heads were attached to large oval-shaped
bodies, and that, besides the half hundred or so that had gathered
around the fires, there were whole droves of the same upon the sandy
beach beyond. The white surface was literally covered as far as he
could see on all sides of him with black moving masses; and where the
rays of the moon fell upon the beach, there was a broad belt that
glistened and sparkled as though she shone upon pieces of glass kept
constantly in motion!

A singular sight it was; and to Leon, who had never heard of such
before, a most fearful one. For the life of him he could not make out
what it all meant, or by what sort of odd creatures they were
surrounded. He had but an indistinct view of them, but he could see
that their bodies were not larger than those of a small sheep, and from
the way in which they glistened under the moon he was sure they were
water-animals, and had come out of the river!

He did not stay to speculate any longer upon them. He resolved to wake
Guapo; but in doing so the whole party were aroused, and started to
their feet in some alarm and confusion. The noise and movement had its
effect on the nocturnal visitors; for before Leon could explain himself,
those immediately around the fires and for some distance beyond r