flowers which had
a very ornamental effect on the sombre forest. But, although the
exceptions were striking, he found that in Borneo, as elsewhere, flowers
were scarcer than he had expected in an equatorial forest. There were,
however, more than enough of striking and surprising things to engage
the attention of our hero, and arouse his interest.

One tree they came to which rendered him for some moments absolutely
speechless! to the intense delight of the professor, who marched his
new-found sympathiser from one object of interest to another with the
secret intention of surprising him, and when he had got him to the point
of open-mouthed amazement he was wont to turn his spectacles full on his
face, like the mouths of a blue binocular, in order to witness and enjoy
his emotions!

Nigel found this out at last and was rather embarrassed in consequence.

"Zat," exclaimed the naturalist, after gazing at his friend for some
time in silence, "zat is a tree vitch planted itself in mid-air and zen
sent its roots down to zee ground and its branches up to zee sky!"

"It looks as if it had," returned Nigel; "I have seen a tree of the same
kind near the coast. How came it to grow in this way?"

"I know not. It is zought zat zey spring from a seed dropped by a bird
into zee fork of anozer tree. Zee seed grows, sends his roots down ant
his branches up. Ven his roots reach zee ground he lays hold, ant, ven
strong enough, kills his support--zus returning efil for good, like a
zankless dependent. Ah! zere is much resemblance between plants and
animals! Com', ve must feed here," said the professor, resting his gun
against one of the roots, "I had expected to find zee bootterflies
sooner. It cannot be helped. Let us make zis our banqueting-hall. Ve
vill have a Durian to refresh us, ant here is a handy tree which seems
to have ripe vones on it.--Go," he added, turning to the orang-utan,
"and send down von or two."

The creature looked helplessly incapable, pitifully unwilling,
scratching its side the while. Evidently it was a lazy monkey.

"Do you hear?" said Verkimier, sternly.

The orang moved uneasily, but still declined to go.

Turning sharply on it, the professor bent down, placed a hand on each of
his knees and stared through the blue goggles into the animal's face.

This was more than it could stand. With a very bad grace it hobbled off
to the Durian tree, ascended it with a sort of lazy, lumbering facility,