92 AFRICAN CAMP FIRES. 



waved and shouted a farewell to the crews of the 

 launch and the dhow. 



The path for a hundred feet was walled in by 

 the mangroves through which scuttled and 

 rattled the big land crabs. Then suddenly we 

 found ourselves in a story-book tropical para- 

 dise. The tall coco palms rose tufted above 

 everything ; the fans of the younger palms 

 waved below ; bananas thrust the banners of 

 their broad leaves wherever they could find space ; 

 creepers and vines flung the lush luxuriance of 

 their greenery over all the earth and into the 

 depths of all the half-guessed shadows. In no 

 direction could one see unobstructed farther 

 than twenty feet, except straight up ; and there 

 one could see just as far as the tops of the palms. 

 It was like being in a room a green, hot, steamy, 

 lovely room. Very bright- coloured birds that 

 ought really to have been at home in their cages 

 fluttered about. 



We had much vigorous clearing to do to make 

 room for our tents. By the time the job was fin- 

 ished we were all pretty hot. Several of the 

 boys made vain attempts to climb for nuts, 

 but without success. We had brought them 

 with us from the interior, where cocoanuts do 

 not grow ; and they did not understand the 



