tely he was an outrageously poor shot, his first attempt being
his best, so I escaped unhurt; but I inwardly vowed that if ever I
happened to meet him in the future I would have my revenge by telling
him pretty plainly what I thought of him as a marksman. At length, the
felucca having distanced the gig about a mile, we saw both boats give up
the chase and lay upon their oars; and a few minutes later they turned
tail, and made their way slowly back toward the channel. We had
escapee--so far.

Meanwhile, having passed safely through the narrow channel we found
ourselves in an extensive lagoon, some ten miles wide, and so long that
we had a clear horizon to the southward and eastward, whilst on our
starboard hand was a cluster of perhaps a dozen islands, large and
small, some almost awash, whilst others rose to a height of from fifty
to sixty feet above the water's edge at their highest points, all of
them being wooded right down to the water. To the northward and
westward of us the lagoon narrowed down to about a mile in width,
forming a sort of strait between the largest of the islands above-
mentioned and a bold projecting promontory; and beyond this strait the
horizon was again clear save for certain faint grey blots which our
experienced eyes told us were the foliage crowning another group of
islands. It was an enchanting prospect for a man to gaze upon; the
broad sheet of water upon which we were sailing was perfectly smooth
save for the slight ruffle of the breeze upon it; every spot of dry
land, large or small, within sight of us, was completely hidden by the
luxuriant tropical vegetation which flourished upon it, the foliage
being of every conceivable shade of green, from the lightest to the
darkest, and thickly besprinkled with flowers and blossoms of all the
hues of the rainbow. Nor was animate life wanting to add its charm to
the scene; for aquatic birds of various kinds were to be seen stalking
solemnly about the shallows busily fishing, or skimming with slowly-
flapping pinions close along the surface of the water; whilst, as we
shot between two of the contiguous islands, butterflies of immense size
and gorgeous colouring were distinctly visible flitting to and fro among
the blossoms of the plants and trees; a flock of gaily painted
parroquets, startled by our sudden appearance, took to flight with
discordant screams; humming-birds hovered and darted here and there,
their brilliant metallic-like plumage