hat if an attempt were made it must
be by the river, for the forest on either side seemed to be impassable,
and how far it ran inland was impossible to say.

A change was made every hour or so, the prisoners taking their turn with
the oars; and before the morning was far advanced the overseer ordered
Nic into one of the places, watching him intently as he obeyed and fell
into stroke at once, rowing hard for a few minutes in the hot sunshine
without a murmur. Then all at once the trees on the bank began to sail
round, the oar slipped from his hand, and he fell backward into Pete's
arms.

When he opened his eyes again he was sitting forward in the bottom of
the boat, with one of the blacks supporting him and splashing water from
over the side in his face, while the overseer stood looking down grimly.

"You needn't take another turn," he said gruffly; "I wanted to see
whether you could do your share."

The rest of the day Nic sat watching their progress, a good deal of it
through the gloomy shades of a great swamp, through which the river ran
at times almost in twilight, the faint current being marked by the
difference in colour and the freedom from the vegetation which marked
the waters of the great lagoon spreading away to right and left among
the trees, which grew and fell and rotted as far as eye could penetrate.

The vegetation, was rich, but it seemed to be that of a dying forest
which had been inundated by the stream, for bank there was none. Huge
cypresses stood out at every angle, many having fallen as far as they
could, but only to be supported by their fellows. And as the boat went
swiftly on in obedience to the sturdily-tugged oars, Nic forgot his
troubles in wonder at the strangeness of the scene through which he
passed, for it was dreary, horrible, and beautiful all in one. Rotting
vegetation supplied the rich, muddy soil from which rose vine and
creeper to climb far on high, and then, finding no further support,
throw themselves into the air, to hang and swing where the bright
sunshine penetrated. Wherever it was shadowy the trees were draped with
hanging curtains of moss; while all around Nic looked down vistas of
light and shade, whose atmosphere was now golden, now of a score of
different delicious greens.

There was something so new and strange about the swamp that it had a
fascination for Nic, and he was leaning over the bows, resting his chin
upon his hand, when he had his first glance at on