66 AFRICAN CAMP FIRES. 



and native huts among more cocoanut groves. 

 Through our glasses we could see the black men 

 watching us, quite motionless, squatted on their 

 heels. 



It was like suddenly entering another world, 

 this gliding from the open sea straight into the 

 heart of a green land. The ceaseless wash of 

 waves we had left outside with the ocean ; our 

 engines had fallen silent. Across the hushed 

 waters came to us strange chantings and the 

 beating of a tom-tom, an occasional shrill shout 

 from the unknown jungle. The sun was just set, 

 and the tops of the palms caught the last rays ; 

 all below was dense green shadow. Across the 

 surface of the water glided dug-out canoes of 

 shapes strange to us. We passed ancient ruins 

 almost completely dismantled, their stones half 

 smothered in green rank growth. The wide 

 river-like bay stretched on before us as far as 

 the waning light permitted us to see ; finally 

 losing itself in the heart of mystery. 



Steadily and confidently our ship steamed for- 

 ward, until at last, when we seemed to be afloat 

 in a land-locked lake, we dropped anchor and 

 came to rest. 



Darkness fell utterly before the usual quaran- 

 tine regulations had been carried through. Active 



