Our place of council was by the side of a lake, which reflected a sky more blue than I had ever seen.

It stretched out of sight, and all about it were pines--pines.

It was very lovely, and very hot, and very sweet, and the little black flies which swarmed about took tiny bits out of our cheek, and left the blood trickling down, so cleverly, that one did not feel it--till afterwards.

We did feel the mosquitoes, and fought with them as well as we could, whilst Dennis O'Moore, defending his own face with a big bunch of jack-in-pulpits striped like tabby cats, explained his plans as follows: Of course we had no notion of going home awhile.

Alister and I had come away on purpose; and for his own part it had always been the longing of his soul to see the world.