uld have been more
suitable implements than knives; but the men worked away with a will,
being as eager as their superiors to get a glance into the strange place
which had kept them at bay so long.

A good half-hour's cutting and hacking was, however, necessary, two men
working at a time while the others dragged away the greenery, which they
tossed over the elaborately-carved colonnade into the river, where it
was slowly borne away along the canon.

At last the foremost man was nearly through, and, reaching up as high as
he could to divide a pale green strand which had grown almost in
darkness, and now hindered his way, he put all his strength out to sever
it with one cut, not anticipating that wood which had grown under such
conditions would be tender and soft, and, consequently, his knife went
through it as easily as if it had been a thick stick of rhubarb, and he
fell forward into the darkness upon a pile of dead wood and leafy
rubbish.

"Hurt yourself?" cried Brace, stepping forward, half in dread lest the
man should have been plunged into some deep pit.

"Not a bit, sir; only rolled down about a dozen steps, and--Oh, yah!
yah!" he yelled, uttering a horror-stricken cry; and then, as guns were
cocked in anticipation of seeing some savage beast of prey dash out, the
man came blundering up, stumbling over the heap of rubbish, and finally
dashed out on to the terrace, covered with dust and with his eyes
starting in a scared and terrified manner, as he sank down shuddering,
and uttered a groan.

"What's the matter? What is it, old matey?" cried one of the men; but
Brace, his brother, and the American stood fast with levelled guns and
fingers on the triggers.

"What is it, my lad?" cried the captain: "a jaguar?"

"Oh, no, sir; worse than that," faltered the man, wiping the sweat from
his face: "worser than that."

"What did you see then? Was it a great serpent? Speak up, lad."

"No, sir; I shouldn't have been skeared o' any serpent. It was a great
big Injun who had a lot o' greasy white snakes swinging about all round
his head, and he'd got his club ready to hit me. Ever so big, he was."

"That chap's telling a big lie," said Briscoe coolly, "only he thinks
he's telling the truth. There couldn't be any big Indian in there, and
if there were he wouldn't have a lot of greasy white snakes hanging
about his head. I'm going in to see for myself. Coming with me,
Brace?"

"Yes," was the reply, and, holding