The mangrove gave place to a better growth, the soil became richer and vegetation more luxuriant.  Soon they had to cut away vines and branches to clear the way for the canoe, but they counted their troubles over.  They were paddling gaily ahead when they saw in front of them a branch that stretched across the creek about a foot above the water.  They had met plenty of similar obstructions, but this was different.  There was a big wasps’ nest on the branch and the air was filled with flying little pests.  It was impossible to get around the nest and it was doubtful if there was another creek that would take them through.

“Let’s get some dry palmetto fans and make torches.  Then we can burn and smoke the wasps out,” said Ned.

“Dunno as I want to wade up to that nest and set it afire.  Ouch!” said Dick, who had sat down on what he thought was a stump, but had turned out to be an ants’ nest.  “Holy smoke!  Don’t these things bite?  I don’t believe wasps are in it with them.  Anyhow, I’m going to find out.”

Dick took the oar that was used to pole the canoe and wading straight toward the nest struck it a blow that most fortunately knocked it to the water, while a second blow sent it under the surface.  A few of the outlying insects stung the boy and he had a dozen little lumps to show for a day or two, but he had captured the fort and drowned the garrison and the canoe passed in peace.

The creek emptied into a wide bay on the high bank of which the boys camped.  It was part of the Madeira Hammock, the most beautiful native forest they had seen.  At daylight a large crocodile was floating on the bay near the camp, but sank out of sight as the campers showed themselves.  From the bay the canoeists entered a deep river with high banks on which were growing madeira, wild sapadillo, palms of several kinds and other varieties of trees.  In the sides of the high banks at the water line the boys saw holes which they believed to be the caves of crocodiles.  In the mouth of one the water was muddied and Dick cut a long pole which he poked into the hole.  At first he felt something seize the pole, but could not afterward find the creature.  He then took the pole on the bank and thrust it into the ground where he thought the reptile was most likely to be.  When he had worked thirty feet back from the bank he felt something move and the next instant Ned, who had stayed in the canoe at the mouth of the cave, was nearly capsized by the rush of a great beast nearly the size of the canoe.

“Why didn’t you grab it, Ned?  What is the use of my driving game to you, if you let it slip through your fingers?”

“Perhaps you think that was one of the alligator babies you’ve been nursing.  You didn’t see the big head with the tusks running out of the top of it.”

“No, but I mean to see the next one.  It’ll be your turn to do the punching while I rope the critter.”

“If you had got your rope on that one and held on, you’d be in his cave now, inside the owner’s tummy.”