MILITA RY AD VENTURES. 73 



the country we must pass through, and 

 the dense jungles we should have to pene- 

 trate, almost made one's hair stand on 

 end. However, we started at sunrise the 

 following morning, and the first ten or 

 twelve miles being particularly easy, we 

 began to think the description of the 

 country was only intended to frighten us ; 

 but, by Jove ! we had not penetrated 

 three miles further on, to a pi ace where we 

 formed our camp, when it began to dawn 

 upon us in earnest that there might be 

 some truth in the statement. This was 

 confirmed the following day when we 

 seemed regularly stuck fast and could not 

 proceed, and also had great difficulty in re- 

 tracing our steps ; in fact, the guides we 

 had with us were in the interest of the 

 enemy, and had taken us into a country 

 impossible to penetrate, and though they 



