Like a flash that spider was upon it.

It embraced the victim with its long legs to still its tremendous battlings.

Next, descending below, it began to make the body fast, when something happened.

From the still surface of the water beneath poked up the mouth of a very large fish which quite quietly closed upon the spider and sank again into the depths, taking with it a portion of the web and thereby setting the big moth free.
With a struggle it loosed itself, fell on to a piece of wood and floated away, apparently little the worse for the encounter.
"Did you see that, Baas ?" said Hans, pointing to the broken and empty web.

"While you were thinking, I was praying to your reverend father the Predikant, who taught me how to do it, and he has sent us a sign from the Place of Fire." Even then I could not help laughing to myself as I pictured what my dear father's face would be like if he were able to hear his convert's remarks.