Frank shook his head.
“Impossible,” he said; and the boat was pulled out and began once more to ascend the stream.
“How big was it?” said Ned, as the incident was discussed.
“Impossible to say,” replied Murray; “but I should say fifteen or sixteen feet long, and as large round as your leg.”
Another hour’s steady pulling up against the stream brought them to quite a change in the character of the river-banks. One side had the jungle as before, but on the other the forest receded more and more, till they gazed across a park-like plain dotted with clumps of huge trees, and rising more and more till a range of hills towered up looking wonderfully beautiful, wooded as they were to the summit.
This meant a tramp, and the boat was run up beneath some trees, to one of which it was moored, while two of the guard busied themselves in spreading refreshments beneath the awning in a business-like way, which suggested that they had been used to such tasks before.
“Rather hot for a long walk,” said Frank, when the meal was finished; “but I don’t mind, if you don’t.”
Murray smiled with the calm contempt for heat usually displayed by an Englishman, took his gun and stepped ashore, followed by the boys, to find that half a dozen men armed with spears followed them, one stepping forward to act as guide, but after a few words from Frank, going back to his place with the rest.
“Now then,” he said, “what’s it to be—birds or beasts?”
“Birds to-day,” replied Murray.