128 EDGE OF THE JUNGLE 



to the last, or reserving the frosting until the cake 

 is eaten. It occurred to me that, had it not been 

 for the Kaiser, I might have been forbidden this 

 mystery; a chain of occurrences: Kaiser — war — 

 submarines — glass-shortage for dreadnoughts — 

 mica port-holes needed — Guiana prospector — 

 abandoned pits — rainy season — mysterious ten- 

 ants — me ! 



When I squatted by the side of the pool, no 

 sign of life was visible. Far up through the 

 green foliage of the jungle I could see a solid 

 ceiling of cloud, while beneath me the liquid clay 

 of the pool was equally opaque and lifeless. As 

 a seer watches the surface of his crystal ball, so 

 I gazed at my six-foot circle of milky water. 

 My shift forward was like the fall of a tree: it 

 brought into existence about it a temporary cir- 

 cle of silence and fear — a circle whose periphery 

 began at once to contract; and after a few min- 

 utes the gorge again accepted me as a part of its 

 harmless self. A huge bee zoomed past, and 

 just behind my head a hummingbird beat the air 

 into a froth of sound, as vibrant as the richest 

 tones of a cello. My concentrated interest 

 seemed to become known to the life of the sur- 

 rounding glade, and I was bombarded with sight. 



