THE CHILD WANDERS IN THE WOOD. 317 



even makes a raft, and, when the raft is made, 

 he sails down the Mississippi as far as Central 

 Africa, where, of course, he encounters savages, 

 and has to fight them. To discover an un- 

 known island on such a voyage is an adven- 

 ture certain to be met with. To build a hut, 

 to provision a cave, and to dwell for a while 

 upon that island is another adventure equally 

 certain when one goes to Central Africa, and 

 there is no reason at all why such a story 

 should ever have any end. Consequently, 

 there is none only a full stop, and then a 

 line with " Finis " written under it. In fact, 

 there never was such a book of boy's make- 

 believe. Observe, if you please, a thing which 

 shows the real genius of the writer. It is that 

 you feel, all the time you are reading the book, 

 the village itself only a quarter of a mile from 

 Central Africa. The bailiff, and the dogs, and 

 the village lads are always coming across us in 

 the midst of the Central African jungle in 

 the most natural and absurd way. For 

 boys, as Jefferies remembered, are never 

 quite carried away by their own imagina- 

 tions. There are many very fine passages in 



