[Note: this transcription was produced by an automatic OCR engine]

156 WITH NATIVES IN THE WESTERN PACIFIC

water sounded familiar, the soft, cool breeze was the
same, and while I lay watching the white clouds
through the bright foliage I dreamt of home. At
home I had dreamt of travel, and thus one wish
follows the other and the soul is preserved from lazy
content. I almost fancied I heard the sound of bells
and the far—away lowing of cattle. And again the
reality seemed like a dream when I roused myself
and saw the dark figures crouching on the rocks,
with their frizzy mops of hair and their Sniders on
their knees.

The village turned out to be too dirty to spend
the night in, and I decided to go to one which
seemed quite near, just across a gully. Had I known
what an undertaking it would be, I would not have
started, for the ravine was very deep and the sides
unpleasantly steep ; but my boys managed the descent,
over rocks and fallen trees, with their usual clever-
ness. At the bottom we Were rewarded by a beautiful
sight. Beneath us, in a narrow cut it had eaten
through the rock, roared a river, foaming out of the
depths of the dark wilderness. It was like one of the
celebrated gorges in the Alps, only the tropical vegeta-
tion which hung in marvellous richness and variety
over the abyss gave a fairy-like aspect to the scene.
The boys did not seem to appreciate it in the least,
and prepared, sighing, for the steep ascent. A simple
bridge led across the gully; it was made of a few
trees, and even provided with a railing in the shape
of a vine. The existence of this bridge surprised me
very much; for, considering the thoughtless egotism