86 B Y- WA YS AND BIHD-NO TES. 



ginal ripples of the river leaped with low whis- 

 perings, constantly grew brighter and greener 

 as we advanced Overhead the sky was 

 purely blue and clear, with just a hint of the 

 yellow sunlight flung athwart it. In mid-air, 

 above the mountain's shadow, there hung a 

 misty splendor, such as is often seen on very 

 hot days hovering over water. A fragrance, 

 which strengthened apace with our motion, 

 reached my sense, as if from some gradually 

 opened pot pourri of all sweet, spicy things. 

 The great, belted kingfisher seemed to feel 

 this as he led on, flinging back at us the chat- 

 ter of his voice and the rich, silken clash of 

 his wings. 



I was now aware of an obscure feeling of 

 restless expectancy beginning to infuse itself 

 through me. I turned half about to look at 

 my guide. He made a frightful grimace at me 

 for rocking the boat, and glancing down I saw 

 some minute sprays of water bubble over the 

 gunwale ! Out through the momentary scowl 

 of the guide's face his vast age seemed to leer 

 like a wild demon. Those bubbles leaping 

 over the boat's rotten side reminded me 1 of 

 how easily it might swamp in the rapids. 

 With a little twinge of self-rebuke for my 

 thoughtlessness, I resumed my former posi- 

 tion. 



Within these last few moments of time, 

 some change of no doubtful sort, but still a 

 change which eludes expression even now, 

 had taken place in the general appearance of 

 all surrounding things. It may have been an 

 atmospheric or chromatic variance, it may 

 have been merely the mutations of the evening 

 shadows hovering in this low valley ; but, from 



