o, sir, not yet," was the reply. "Better sit down. Mind your hat!"

For all through this the boat was gliding slowly but straight for the
curtain of leaves and flowers which hid the bank of the western side of
the river; and as the position seemed perilous to Rob, he saw with
astonishment that the four Indian boatmen lay calmly back furling up the
sail as if nothing was the matter, or else showing that they had perfect
faith in their leader and steersman, who was not likely to lead them
into danger.

What followed only took moments. They were out in the dazzling
sunshine, were rapidly, as it seemed, approaching the bank, and directly
after plunged right into the lovely curtain of leaves and flowers which
swept over them as they glided on over the surface of the swiftly
running clear black water, the sun entirely screened and all around them
a delicious twilight, with densely planted, tall, columnar trees
apparently rising out of the flood on either hand, while a rush and
splash here and there told that they were disturbing some of the
dwellers in these shades.

"What does this mean?" said Brazier, stooping to recover his hat which
had been swept off on to the canvas awning, and which he only just
recovered before it slipped into the stream.

There was no answer to the question as they watched, and then they saw
light before them, which rapidly brightened till they glided into
sunshine and found that they had passed through a second curtain of
leaves, and were in a little river of some hundred yards wide, with
lovely verdure on either side rising like some gigantic hedge to shut
them in; in fact, a miniature reproduction of the grand stream they had
so lately left.

"Why, Naylor," cried Brazier, "I thought you were going to run us ashore
or capsize us."

"Yes, sir, I know you did," was the reply.

"But where are we? What place is this?"

"This here's the river I wanted to bring you to, sir."

"But it does not run into the Paraguay, it runs out."

"Yes, sir, it do. It's a way it has. It's a curious place, as you'll
say before we've done."

"But it seems impossible. How can it run like this?"

"Dunno, sir. Natur' made it, not me. I've never been up it very far,
but it strikes me it's something to do with the big waterworks higher up
the big river."

"Waterworks! Why, surely--"

"Natur's waterworks, sir, not man's; the big falls many miles to the
north."

Rob and Joe exchanged glances.

"Stri