dy, and the head of a gigantic python;
then, overcome by the horror of the scene he became unconscious. When he
recovered he found that the canoe had drifted away from the tree. He now
set to work desperately to loose his bonds, and after great efforts and
suffering severe pain, succeeded in getting one hand loose. After that the
rest was easy, and in a few minutes he was free. Seizing the paddle he
rowed away from the scene of the tragedy, and presently tied up to a young
sapling, whose head was just above the water.

His next step was to examine the contents of the canoe. It contained,
however, nothing but two or three fish dried in the sun, and some cakes,
of whose composition he was ignorant, save that they were certainly not
made of flour. Having satisfied his hunger and taken a long drink from the
water alongside, he fired his rifle three times, but no answering sound
came back. Knowing that he might only be paddling away from the river, he
stretched himself in the bottom of the canoe, and resolutely postponing
all thought of his position until daybreak, fell asleep. He awoke as soon
as it was light again, loaded and fired his gun three times, and again
listened for a response.

"It is of no use my waiting here," he said to himself, after some thought.
"Pita has no shadow of a clue as to what has become of me, and as I may be
thirty miles away from him it would take an army to find me. I had better
try and push on until I get to dry land. I may then be able to work round
the inundations until I reach the rocky ground and can make my way along
it to the mission." As soon as the sun rose he was able to determine the
points of the compass, and paddled steadily on, his eyes fixed upon the
trees above him. Other snakes might be lurking or wild beasts taking
refuge in the branches. That there were many of these indeed he was sure,
by the number of uneasy howls that he had heard before the sun rose.
Several times as he rowed he caught sight of leopards and jaguars in the
trees; one of the latter, unobserved until he had passed beyond the
branches, sprang down from above, narrowly missing the stern of the canoe,
and starting in pursuit as soon as it came to the surface again. Stephen,
however, was able to drive the boat through the water at a much higher
rate than the beast could swim, and it was not long before he had left it
far behind him.

He continued to paddle all day, but felt that his nerves were beginning to
fa