76 THE LAKE AND ITS INHABITANTS. there broke the monotony of the prospect; and now have felt convinced that they were placed on a , epressed and t length they a, and hailed ecognized the eet in height, t the summit. nb the tree to suaded him to te opportunity, the graceful ing of water. rdered a broad , of which they while on the building their uck over with flies and mos spot appeared the dreary bay 76 THE LAKE AND ITS INHABITANTS. there broke the monotony of the prospect; and now the boys felt convinced that they were placed on a truly desert island. Still they moved forwards, though depressed and silent, over the dismal wilderness; till at length they were cheered by the sight of vegetation, and hailed with pleasure some tall trees. Arthur recognized the cabbage-palm, the slender stem sixty feet in height, with the round tuft of edible leaves at the summit. Hugh would willingly have tried to climb the tree to procure the leaves, but his brother persuaded him to defer the exploit till a more favourable opportunity, and pointed out to him a fringe of the graceful casuarina, which promised the blessing of water. They made up to it, and found it bordered a broad and glittering lake, in the clear waters of which they distinguished multitudes of large fish, while on the banks the noisy waterfowl were building their nests. The edge of the lake was stuck over with fresh-water mussels; and but for the flies and mosquitoes which haunted the trees, this spot appeared a terrestrial paradise compared with the dreary bay they had left. "This is the place for our camp and fortress," said Hugh; “let us bring up our rear-guard at once. We shall have the lake for our water-tank, and its feathered and finny inhabitants for our rations." "And these winged monsters for our besieging foes," added Gerald, striking a mosquito from his nose. "It is a pleasant and tempting situation, certainly," said Arthur ; "and we might select a spot sufficiently distant from the water to avoid these bloodthirsty insects. But we must be certain that we shall have |
