watched anxiously for an hour. The boat returned with a good
report of two fathoms of water over the bar, impenetrable forests
for two miles up, the river sixty yards broad, and no sign of
man. The river's banks were soft and sloping mud, fit for
careening.

"Safe quarters, sir," said Yeo privately, "as far as
Spaniards go. I hope in God it may be as safe from calentures
and fevers."

"Beggars must not be choosers," said Amyas. So in they
went.

They towed the ship up about half-a-mile to a point where
she could not be seen from the seaward; and there moored her
to the mangrove-stems. Amyas ordered a boat out, and went
up the river himself to reconnoitre. He rowed some three
miles, till the river narrowed suddenly, and was all but covered
in by the interlacing boughs of mighty trees. There was no
sign that man had been there since the making of the world.

He dropped down the stream again, thoughtfully and sadly.
How many years ago was it that he passed this river's mouth?
Three days. And yet how much had passed in them! Don
Guzman found and lost--Rose found and lost--a great victory
gained, and yet lost--perhaps his ship lost--above all, his
brother lost.

Lost! O God, how should he find his brother?

Some strange bird out of the woods made mournful answer
--"Never, never, never!"

How should he face his mother?

"Never, never, never!" wailed the bird again; and Amyas
smiled bitterly, and said "Never!" likewise.

The night mist began to steam and wreathe upon the foul
beer-coloured stream. The loathy floor of liquid mud lay bare
beneath the mangrove forest. Upon the endless web of inter-
arching roots great purple crabs were crawling up and down.
They would have supped with pleasure upon Amyas's corpse;
perhaps they might sup on him after all; for a heavy sickening
graveyard smell made his heart sink within him, and his
stomach heave; and his weary body, and more weary soul,
gave themselves up helplessly to the depressing influence of
that doleful place. The black bank of dingy leathern leaves
above his head, the endless labyrinth of stems and withes (for
every bough had lowered its own living cord, to take fresh hold
of the foul soil below); the web of roots, which stretched away
inland till it was lost in the shades of evening--all seemed one

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