8£6 DENSE JUNGLES. 



keeping the east shore on board, and presently saw 

 three arms going off from it, one north-west, 

 another north, and another north-east, towards the 

 latter of which we proceeded. On the land, in the 

 ' north-west direction, we saw several native huts, 

 low and small, and apparently mere temporary ac- 

 commodations, as they were now evidently deserted. 

 We landed for a short ti me on the shore near us, which 

 was bare mud, partly dried, resting on stiff blue clay, 

 and hardly above high water mark. The lofty man- 

 groves, or whatever they were, grew all over it, with 

 here and there clusters of palms of different kinds, 

 and of many other tropical plants, one of which was 

 something like an aloe or agave, with broad succu- 

 lent pointed leaves rising from the root, and armed 

 with sharp thorns along their edges. The roots of 

 the mangroves and the denseness of the under- 

 growth rendered the woods perfectly impermeable 

 even to the sight for more than a few yards. They 

 were thick, dank jungles, based on mud and dripping 

 with moisture. 



Our north-east arm presently again divided into 

 two, one curving towards the north, and the other 

 running straight and narrow towards the east. As 

 it was now sunset, we chose the broadest part in 

 which to spend the night, and anchored where the 

 water, now quite fresh, was about a third of a mile 

 broad, and nearly three fathoms deep. 



Immediately after sunset, immense flights of par- 

 roquets passed over us, all flying to the west, at a 



