re, but
of a ruddier tint.

"Well, philosopher," said Murray, leaning over against the side of the
boat, "let's have some of your thoughts."

"You'll laugh at me."

"No. Honour bright."

"Well, uncle, first of all, I was wondering why those lights in the
fireflies don't burn them."

"Easily answered, Ned; because they are not hot."

"But they seem to be burning like the flame in a lamp, only of course
very small."

"Seem, Ned, but they are not burning. It's light without heat, the same
as you see on decaying fish; and as we shall find in some of the great
mushrooms in the jungle. It is one of the puzzles scientific men have
not quite settled yet. We have it, you see, in our own glow-worms. I
have often seen it in a kind of centipede at home, which to me seems to
be covered with a kind of luminous oil, some of which it leaves behind
it on a gravel path or the trunk of a tree."

"Yes; I've seen that," said Ned thoughtfully.

"Then, again, you have it on the sea-shore, where in calm, hot weather
the luminosity looks like pale golden-green oil, so thick that you can
skim it from a harbour."

"But what can it all be for?"

"Ah, there you pose me, Ned. What is everything for? What are we for?"

"To go up the river, and make all sorts of discoveries."

"A good answer. Then let's roll ourselves in our blankets and go to
sleep. Hamet says that we shall start again before it is light, and
they are going to sleep now."

"All right. Shall I make the beds?"

Murray laughed, for the bed-making consisted in taking two blankets out
of a box, and then they rolled themselves up, the lamp was turned down,
and, save for a few moments' rustling sound caused by Ned fidgeting into
a fresh place, all was silent, the faint whisper of the water gliding by
the side of the boat hardly warranting the term sound.

"Asleep, Ned?" came after a pause.

"No, uncle."

"Thinking?"

"Yes, uncle."

"What about?"

"I was thinking how horrid it would be if those people came stealing on
board with their krises, and killed us all."

"Then don't think any more such absurd rubbish, and go to sleep."

"Yes, uncle."

"The people out there have just as much cause to fear that we should
turn pirates, and go and attack them."

There was another pause, and then a fresh repetition of the questioning,
and this time Ned had been thinking how easy it would be for Hamet and
his companions to stab and drop them overboard.

"Get