xpecting to see the shining eyes of a jaguar or puma
glaring at him when his own eyes had become accustomed to the subdued
light of the place. But no such sight greeted him, only, as he stood,
staring and listening, a sudden faint splash of water reached his ears
from within the dark depths of the cavern, and a few seconds later, as a
little stream of water came trickling down the slope from the interior,
a hot, strong puff of the peculiar effluvium which he had previously
noticed, smote him and almost turned him sick.

He retreated hastily to the open air--noticing as he did so that the
momentary trickle of water had ceased to flow; he felt that after
inhaling that dreadful odour he must get a breath of fresh air; also, if
he desired to explore the interior of that cavern, he must provide
himself with a torch. Accordingly he retraced his steps across the
glade, re-entered the forest, and proceeded to look about him for a few
dry branches to serve as torches, some dry moss for tinder, and a couple
of pieces of wood suitable for rubbing upon each other when it was
desired to kindle a fire. These things were soon found, and Stukely was
returning to the open glade with the perfect silence and caution which
had now become habitual to him, when, as he parted the last branches of
the scrub which shut him in, his quick eyes detected something moving
along the base of the cliff toward the cave. A single glance sufficed
to assure him that it was one of the large apes, almost as big as a man,
which abounded in the forest; and he determined to remain where he was
for a few moments and watch the creature; if the brute entered the cave,
as seemed to be his intention, Stukely felt he might safely conclude
that the jaguars, or whatever they might be, were not at home, and that
consequently he might himself enter without the observance of quite so
much precaution as he would otherwise have considered necessary.

As he had anticipated, the ape was evidently bound for the interior of
the cavern, for upon arriving at the entrance the creature paused for a
moment, appeared to sniff the air carefully for a second or two, and
then went boldly in, somewhat to Stukely's surprise, for although when
he first saw the creature he gathered from its movements that it
intended to enter the cave, he could not imagine why it should do so;
for he knew perfectly well by this time that that particular species of
ape lived in a tree, not in a cave. Th