er. This was so excessive that the slightest ripple
under the bows of the canoe, along her sides, and for some distance in
her wake, together with the faint swirls created by our paddles,
produced long trailing lines and eddies of vivid silvery light which
could scarcely fail to attract the attention of a vigilant look-out and
so betray our whereabouts. We were thus compelled to observe the utmost
circumspection in our advance, which was made, as far as was
practicable, through the deepest shadows of the overhanging foliage.

We were creeping slowly down the channel in this cautious fashion when a
slight and almost imperceptible splash from the opposite bank attracted
my attention. Glancing across in that direction I noticed a slowly
spreading circle of luminous ripples, and beneath them a curious patch
of pale phosphorescent light rapidly advancing toward us. In a few
seconds it was almost directly underneath the canoe and keeping pace
with her. To my consternation I then saw that it was a crocodile about
the same length, "over all," as the canoe, the phosphorescence of the
water causing his scaly carcass to gleam like a watery moon and
distinctly revealing his every movement. We could even see his upturned
eyes maintaining a vigilant watch upon us.

"Do you see that, sir?" I whispered.

"I do, indeed," murmured Smellie; "and I only hope the brute is
completely ignorant of his ability to capsize us with a single whisk of
his tail, if he should choose to do so. Phew! what a flash!"

What a flash, indeed! It seemed as though the entire vault of heaven
had exploded into living flame; the whole atmosphere was for a moment
irradiated; our surroundings leapt out of the darkness and stood for a
single instant vividly revealed; and there, too, away ahead of us, at a
distance of perhaps half a mile, appeared the schooner, her hull, spars,
and rigging showing black as ebony against the brilliantly--illuminated
background of foliage and cloud. Simultaneously with the lightning-
flash there came a terrific peal of thunder, which crackled and crashed
and roared and rumbled about us with such an awful percussion of sound
that I was absolutely deafened for a minute or two. When I recovered my
hearing the wild creatures of the forest were still giving vent to their
terror in a chorus of roars and howls and screams of dismay. The
crocodile, evidently not caring to be out in such weather, had happily
vanished. We had sca