re throats,
and rheumatism into the bargain," cried Toby, with evident dislike at the
idea.

"Oh, very well then, my lad," said I, "since you will not accompany me,
here I go, alone. You will see me in the morning"; and advancing to the
edge of the cliff upon which we had been standing, I proceeded to lower
myself down by the tangled roots which clustered about all the crevices of
the rock. As I had anticipated, Toby, in spite of his previous
remonstrances, followed my example, and dropping himself with the activity
of a squirrel from point to point, he quickly outstripped me, and effected
a landing at the bottom before I had accomplished two-thirds of the
descent.

The sight that now greeted us was one that will ever be vividly impressed
upon my mind. Five foaming streams, rushing through as many gorges, and
swelled and turbid by the recent rains, united together in one mad plunge
of nearly eighty feet, and fell with wild uproar into a deep black pool
scooped out of the gloomy-looking rocks that lay piled around, and thence
in one collected body dashed down a narrow sloping channel which seemed to
penetrate into the very bowels of the earth. Overhead, vast roots of trees
hung down from the sides of the ravine, dripping with moisture, and
trembling with the concussions produced by the fall. It was now sunset,
and the feeble uncertain light that found its way into these caverns and
woody depths heightened their strange appearance, and reminded us that in
a short time we should find ourselves in utter darkness.

As soon as I had satisfied my curiosity by gazing at this scene, I fell to
wondering how it was that what we had taken for a path should have
conducted us to so singular a place, and began to suspect that after all I
might have been deceived in supposing it to have been a track formed by
the islanders. This was rather an agreeable reflection than otherwise, for
it diminished our dread of accidentally meeting with any of them, and I
came to the conclusion that perhaps we could not have selected a more
secure hiding-place than this very spot we had so accidentally hit upon.
Toby agreed with me in this view of the matter, and we immediately began
gathering together the limbs of trees which lay scattered about, with the
view of constructing a temporary hut for the night. This we were obliged
to build close to the foot of the cataract for the current of water
extended very nearly to the sides of the gorge. The few mo