s the boat drifted, carried by the current under the
conditions already described. No incident of any importance occurred.
For a space of many miles the river bathed the borders of superb
forests; then the country, shorn of these fine trees, spread in
jungles to the limits of the horizon.

If there were no natives in this country--a fact which Dick Sand did
not dream of regretting--the animals at least abounded there. Zebras
sported on the banks, elks, and "caamas," a species of antelope which
were extremely graceful, and they disappeared at night to give place
to the leopards, whose growls could be heard, and even to the lions
which bounded in the tall grasses. Thus far the fugitives had not
suffered from these ferocious creatures, whether in the forests or in
the river.

Meanwhile, each day, generally in the afternoon, Dick Sand neared one
bank or the other, moored the boat, disembarked, and explored the
shore for a short distance.

In fact, it was necessary to renew their daily food. Now, in this
country, barren of all cultivation, they could not depend upon the
tapioca, the sorgho, the maize, and the fruits, which formed the
vegetable food of the native tribes. These plants only grew in a
wild state, and were not eatable. Dick Sand was thus forced to hunt,
although the firing of his gun might bring about an unpleasant
meeting.

They made a fire by rubbing a little stick against a piece of the wild
fig-tree, native fashion, or even simiesque style, for it is affirmed
that certain of the gorillas procure a fire by this means. Then, for
several days, they cooked a little elk or antelope flesh. During the
4th of July Dick Sand succeeded in killing, with a single ball, a
"pokou," which gave them a good supply of venison. This animal, was
five feet long; it had long horns provided with rings, a yellowish red
skin, dotted with brilliant spots, and white on the stomach; and the
flesh was found to be excellent.

It followed then, taking into account these almost daily landings and
the hours of repose that were necessary at night, that the distance on
the 8th of July could hot be estimated as more than one hundred miles.
This was considerable, however, and already Dick Sand asked himself
where this interminable river ended. Its course absorbed some
small tributaries and did not sensibly enlarge. As for the general
direction, after having been north for a long time, it took a bend
toward the northwest.

However, this