THE CONVICT TRAIL 181 



the very heart of the ashes, appeared leaves of 

 strange shape and color. Stumps whose tis- 

 sues seemed wholly turned to charcoal sent forth 

 adventitious shoots, and splintered boughs blos- 

 somed from their wounds. Now was the lowest 

 ebb of the jungle's life, when man for the suc- 

 cess of his commercial aims, should take instant 

 advantage. But plans miscarried and the ruin 

 wrought was left to nature. 



The destruction of the jungle had been com- 

 plete and the searing flames had destroyed all 

 forest seeds. In their place, by some magic, 

 there sprang up at once a maze of weeds, vines 

 and woody shrubs, reeds, ferns and grasses, all 

 foreign to the dark jungle and whose nearest 

 congeners were miles away. Yet here were their 

 seeds and spores, baffling all attempts at tracing 

 their migration or the time they had laid dor- 

 mant. 



When we had begun to penetrate this new- 

 born tangle we found it possible, by comparing 

 various spots, to foUow its growth in past time. 

 The first things to appear in the burned jungle 

 area were grasses or grass-like plants and pros- 

 trate vines. These latter climbed over the fallen 

 tree-trunks and covered the charred stumps with 



