pursued? Well, suppose there were a hundred of them, all making that noise together in the dead of the night, with a rising and falling inflection— that will give you some idea of the noise they make. It is simply horrid. It gives you a creepy feeling. The devil is still in the swine. If you are in the forest and meet them, woe be unto you if you can't get up a tree. An Indian told me "A number of us were out hunting one day, and we met a drove of about fifty bush-hogs; up the trees we got at once, and 'bang' went one of our rifles. Bush-hog number one fell over, and the others at once turned upon it, drank its blood and ate it up. When they were satisfied they were going away, but not until they had left us five or six of their carcases for our meal and our trouble."

Having finished my meditations I got into my hammock, and threw a light rug-one of those I got at John Noble's, in Manchester, some seven years ago-over my legs. The heavens were beautifula canopy of black set with diamonds. Orion, with his arrows and belt, was bright and clear; right overhead was Jupiter; his brilliance dazzled you— we could just discern his four moons with the naked eye; then Sirius, with his own beauteous light, was a little to the south; and south-east of him, in all its beauty, brightness, and suggestive

ness, shone forth the constellation of the Southern Cross. I thought, "Yes, we have the cross ever It is a cross that is alight with heaven's

above us. glory. It is not one truth, not one star, but a constellation of truths. It shines for me and for every man. It shines in the darkest night. One star in it points to the north, one to the south, one to the east, one to the west. It has a light for all races and all climes. Its radiance and glory are universal. Keep that cross ever before you." With these thoughts I dozed off, and

"Sleep, that knits up the ravell'd sleave of care,"

closed my eyes. I must have dozed for some time, when I awoke, feeling damp and chilled. I listened, and there, sure enough, was the patter of rain. My rug was a little wet, and so were my feet. I got up, rubbed myself, and took to a chair. There the sandflies found me. These little creatures sting like very vicious midges on a summer's day at home, only they come upon you in swarms. You feel as you can imagine Gulliver felt when a thousand Brobdignagian arrows pierced his naked body all at once. I would almost sooner have the mosquitoes. Both are bad, and it would puzzle a lawyer to tell which is the worst. We have a proverb here which says,

"Patience, man ride jackass." Well, "patience man had to bear" not "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune," but the stings and arrows of voracious sandflies until the daylight dawned. About one hour's rest was all I got that night.

Soon after five we are again on our way. There is a freshness in the morning air that sharpens appetite, and as soon as we can we get what is called our "tea," though it is far oftener coffee. "Do you see those tall cabbage-palms?" said the captain. "Yes." "That is where the old fort used to be." Tall and stately those palm trees rise, their heads towering above the topmost branches of the other trees. They are all that remains of a once noted dwelling-place and seat of civilisation. Fort Nassau was for many years the old Dutch capital. There the Governor resided, and on it being reported to him that the enemy's ships were advancing up the river, he, with his people, fled. It is supposed by some that their treasure, being put into an iron chest, was buried somewhere near. An old captain told me he once anchored just opposite Fort Nassau-it is very rare you can do that, for the black sailors say the place is haunted with "jumbies"--and letting his anchor go it fell upon something hard, and wouldn't grip; he hauled it up a bit and shifted it a couple of yards

or so to leeward, and down it went into the sand. He didn't know the rumour then of a chest of gold, but he believes now there is a sunken ship there, and it may be Dutch treasure for any one who can fetch it up.

We wanted to land at this place, just to see the ruins of the old brick houses, the rusty cannon, and the graveyard of those old, brave colonists. But they told us the roads were all blocked up, and the place was infested with snakes of the worst kind. "Too much snake," they said, "in the cemetery." The fact is they were afraid of the jumbies, and so did not want to go.

In about three hours we landed at Zeelandia, and as we are about to stay here a few days we will reserve our description for the next chapter.

XIII

AT ZEELANDIA

'EELANDIA was one of the old Dutch plan

ZEE

tations when Fort Nassau was the seat of government. Doubtless, in those days, its cocoa plantations and its coffee plantations were a source of delight to their owners. But it has long since been abandoned. The men and the women, with their toils and their cares, have passed away, but the trees and the forest remain. Of the five hundred acres comprising the estate only a very small portion is now occupied. Over the rest the wild beasts roam at will, and the Indian makes it his hunting ground. Zeelandia to-day is only a small settlement on the Berbice river. It is far away from the town, and the last flickering ray of civilisation hardly finds its way up there and makes its presence felt. A little clearing has been made, and on the bank of the river a solitary