THE EAGLE OWL. 139 



the tender ' nellu ' (rice). A few short years 

 would amply suffice for Jungle trees, bamboos, 

 and rattans to spring up and spread over each 

 other, until every sign of cultivation was 

 obliterated. 



The cocoanut palms themselves would die, as 

 soon as they missed the sound of human voices. 



The slender rootlets of growing trees, 

 insinuating themselves between the stones of the 

 tank, would grow in time to distort, and even 

 to throw down, powerful retaining walls. This 

 we can see has been the case. Here are roots, 

 large as a man's body, encircling in their strong 

 coils blocks of stone which must have taken 

 many slaves to lift. The water, once beginning 

 to ooze through the crevices of the dam, would 

 soon swell to an irresistible torrent, tearing 

 down all its walls, and escaping over the 

 adjoining flat land to stagnate and seethe under 

 a scorching sun. Malaria, and Jungle fever, 

 would quickly be generated by the rotting 

 vegetation. 



The margin of the lake is here impossible to 

 walk on. Soft mud and decomposed rushes 

 form the abodes of alligators and snakes, which 

 lie in horrible enjoyment upon these pestilential 

 beds. If we are to continue our survey of this 

 region, we must mount upon the wings of the 

 lotus-bird, who will waft our spirits over the 

 tropical water lilies and shallow lagoons. 



Hidden among the dank rushes here is a 

 leopard, waiting with feline patience for his 

 prey a thirsty deer. Little does it know how 



