before you go take tub, but keep in shallow water, because crocodile he
very early riser."

Alan laughed, and departed to "take tub." Notwithstanding the mosquitoes
that buzzed round him in clouds, the water was cool and pleasant by
comparison with the hot, sticky air, and the feel of it seemed to rid
him of the languor resulting from his disturbed night.

A month had passed since he had left Old Calabar, and owing to the
incessant rains the journeying had been hard. Indeed the white men there
thought that he was mad to attempt to go up the river at this season.
Of course he had said nothing to them of the objects of his expedition,
hinting only that he wished to explore and shoot, and perhaps prospect
for mines. But knowing as they did, that he was an Engineer officer with
a good record and much African experience, they soon made up their minds
that he had been sent by Government upon some secret mission that for
reasons of his own he preferred to keep to himself. This conclusion,
which Jeekie zealously fostered behind his back, in fact did Alan a good
turn, since owing to it he obtained boatmen and servants at a season
when, had he been supposed to be but a private person, these would
scarcely have been forthcoming at any price. Hitherto his journey had
been one long record of mud, mosquitoes, and misery, but otherwise
devoid of incident, except the eating of one of his boatmen by a
crocodile which was a particularly "early riser," for it had pulled
the poor fellow out of the canoe in which he lay asleep at night. Now,
however, the real dangers were about to begin, since at this spot he
left the great river and started forward through the forest on foot with
Jeekie and the four bearers whom he had paid highly to accompany him.

He could not conceal from himself that the undertaking seemed somewhat