A JUNGLE BEACH 99 



with reasonable foliage and normal trunks, and 

 suddenly I stepped down over the Edge. Over- 

 head and all around there was still the foliage. 

 It shut out the sun except for greenish, moder- 

 ated spots and beams. The branches dipped low 

 in front over the water, shutting out the aky ex- 

 cept along the tops of the cross-river jungle. 

 Thus a great green-roofed chamber was formed ; 

 and here, between jungle and the water-level of 

 the world, was the Kingdom of the Roots. 



Great trees had in their youth fallen far for- 

 ward, undermined by the water, then slowly 

 taken a new reach upward and stretched forth 

 great feet and hands of roots, palms pressing 

 against the mud, curved backs and thews of shoul- 

 ders braced against one another and the drag 

 of the tides. Little by little the old prostrate 

 trunks were entirely obliterated by this fantastic 

 network. There were no fine fibers or rootlets 

 here; only great beams and buttresses, bridges 

 and up-ended spirals, grown together or spread- 

 ing wide apart. Root merged with trunk, and 

 great boles became roots and then boles again in 

 this unreasonable land. For here, in place of 

 damp, black mold and soil, water alternated with 

 dark-shadowed air; and so I was able for a time 



