Though we were sailing out upon a peaceful mission in search ofmy friend Ja, we knew that we might meet with people of some otherisland who would prove unfriendly.

At last the tide turned. We weighed anchor. Slowly we drifteddown the great river toward the sea.

About us swarmed the mighty denizens of the prim-eval very deep--plesiosauriand ichthyosauria with all their horrid, slimy cousins whose nameswere as the names of aunts and uncles to Perry, but which I havenever been able to recall an hour after having heard them.

At last we were safely launched upon the journey to which we hadlooked forward for so long, and the results of which meant so muchto me.

CHAPTER IV