e launch
kept her steam in till darkness had fallen, and then, as soon as the
anchor had been hoisted, she ran farther up the river, and put over to
the opposite shore. That done, she was anchored again, fires were
banked, and the party settled for the night, the watch being taken in
turn. On the following day, after half an hour's run, Meinheer Van
Somering gave vent to a shout of delight.

"Mein friends!" he cried, as he danced on the deck till the steamer
heeled. "Zose are ze drees. Look you. Two, and one lies on ze ozer.
Ah, yes, Meinheeren, and ze riber is zere also. We are proud men
do-day!"

"We are lucky, you mean," answered Mr Pepson. "Who ever heard of an
expedition setting off to find a tributary which runs into a river of
this size some days' journey from its outlet, a tributary the mouth of
which is hidden almost by jungle, and is marked only by two cotton
trees. However, there it is, and now we are but a few miles from the
landing-stage. Let's push on. It's hot and close here, and the sky is
overcast."

They turned the nose of the launch for the narrow tributary, and steamed
slowly into it for there was no saying when they might encounter a
sunken bough or some other obstacle. On either hand now were trees, the
dense forest, while at the base of this forest grew a network of
trailing plants. Every variety of vine was there, and amongst them the
one which produces rubber. Yams were seen in abundance, while orchids
and other plants hung from the trees in festoons, their blooms
illuminating many a dull patch. The banks were composed of slimy ooze
and mud, and from these, as the boats trailed past, an occasional
loathsome form was seen to waddle, and an alligator splashed into the
water.

"Gentlemen to whom it is well to give the right of way," laughed the
leader. "They will do us no harm, but I should be fearful if we were to
be upset. Now, how far do we steam?"

"Five or six mile, Meinheer. You will know when we reach ze road, for
zere is a liddle place to land. Oh yes, zere is no difficuldy."

"Then the sooner we reach the place the better," exclaimed Mr Pepson.
"I don't like the look of the weather. This is hardly the season for
rains, but it looks as if we were in for a torrent."

An hour later a tiny staging was seen on the left bank of the stream,
for the river was little more now. Indeed, in most places, the trees
actually met overhead, while the dense foliage made the plac