the green gloom with their cloudy ivory blossoms and filling the shadows
with such a heavy scent that head and heart reeled with fatal pleasure
as one pushed aside their branches. Every river-bed was full of mighty
reeds, whose stems clattered together when the wind blew like swords on
shields, and every now and then a bit of forest was woven together with
the ropey stems of giant creepers till no man or beast could have passed
save for the paths which constant use had kept open through the mazes.

All day long I wandered on through those wonderful woodlands, and in fact
loitered so much over their infinite marvels that when sundown came all
too soon there was still undulating forest everywhere, vistas of fairy
glades on every hand, peopled with incredible things and echoing with
sounds that excited the ears as much as other things fascinated the eyes,
but no sign of the sea or my fishing village anywhere.

It did not matter; a little of the Martian leisureliness was getting
into my blood: "If not today, why then tomorrow," as An would have said;
and with this for comfort I selected a warm, sandy hollow under the roots
of a big tree, made my brief arrangements for the night, ate some honey
cakes, and was soon sleeping blissfully.

I woke early next morning, after many hours of interrupted dreams, and
having nothing to do till the white haze had lifted and made it possible
to start again, rested idly a time on my elbow and watched the sunshine
filter into the recesses.

Very pretty it was to see the thick canopy overhead, by star-light so
impenetrable, open its chinks and fissures as the searching sun came
upon it; to see the pin-hole gaps shine like spangles presently, the
spaces broaden into lesser suns, and even the thick leafage brighten and