THROUGH WILD EUROPE 161 



and every description of obstacle. By dint of great 

 exertion, all three of us pushing with the oars with 

 all our strength, we managed to penetrate perhaps 

 ioo yards into this labyrinth, and there we 

 stuck. At this point I went overboard up to my 

 waist and pushed behind, while the two Turks 

 worked with the oars against the trunks of the 

 stunted trees, and in this manner we progressed 

 about as far again. Then the men began to look 

 about as if they had reached the spot. It was not 

 possible to see more than a few yards on each side 

 of us, so I took my revolver and fired a shot, hoping 

 to see Herons rising from their nests against the 

 sky. But no such result happened. There was 

 evidently nothing there, and we returned, with the 

 same difficulty, to where we had left the interpreter, 

 as I felt that some explanation was desirable. 



As I expected, a close cross-examination brought 

 out the fact that they had never found any nests 

 at all, and I firmly believe they had never even 

 attempted to look. They had brought me to this 

 place ' on spec.', trusting to my finding something. 

 In fact, they had behaved exactly as Turks generally 

 may be expected to behave, whatever their station 

 in life. 



Pelicans were frequently to be seen on the lake, 

 and no doubt they breed somewhere in the im- 

 penetrable swamps, submerged forests, and morasses 



