For the rest--if objection be taken to the accounts of the mountain and what is to be found on its summit given by the characters in my story--I desire to claim the licence of the romance-writer to maintain their accuracy--till the contrary be proved. If this shall serve to stimulate to renewed efforts at exploration, so much the better, and another of my objects in writing the book will thereby have been attained. FRANK AUBREY. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. PAGE "WILL NO ONE EXPLORE RORAIMA?" 1 CHAPTER II. MONELLA 17 CHAPTER III. THE JOURNEY FROM THE COAST 26 CHAPTER IV. THE FIRST VIEW OF RORAIMA 36 CHAPTER V. IN THE 'DEMONS' WOOD' 45 CHAPTER VI. THE MYSTERIOUS CAVERN 58 CHAPTER VII. THE CANYON WITHIN THE MOUNTAIN 70 CHAPTER VIII. ALONE ON RORAIMA'S SUMMIT 79 CHAPTER IX. VISION OR REALITY? 88 CHAPTER X. IN SIGHT OF EL DORADO! 98 CHAPTER XI. ULAMA, PRINCESS OF MANOA 106 CHAPTER XII. A PRELIMINARY SKIRMISH 119 CHAPTER XIII. A KING'S GREETING 129 CHAPTER XIV. DAKLA 141 CHAPTER XV. MARVELS OF MANOA 153 CHAPTER XVI. LEONARD AND ULAMA 167 CHAPTER XVII. THE FIGHT ON THE HILLSIDE 177 CHAPTER XVIII. THE LEGEND OF MELLENDA 188 CHAPTER XIX. HOPES AND FEARS 199 CHAPTER XX. THE MESSAGE OF APALANO 210 CHAPTER XXI. THE GREAT DEVIL-TREE 221 CHAPTER XXII. SMILES AND TEARS 236 CHAPTER XXIII. THE DEVIL-TREE BY MOONLIGHT 246 CHAPTER XXIV. TRAPPED! 256 CHAPTER XXV. 'IN THE DEVIL-TREE'S LARDER' 268 CHAPTER XXVI. CORYON 282 CHAPTER XXVII. ON THE 'DEVIL-TREE'S LADLE' 290 CHAPTER XXVIII. RALLYING TO THE CALL 301 CHAPTER XXIX. 'THOU ART MY LORD MELLENDA!' 308 CHAPTER XXX. A TERRIBLE VENGEANCE 317 CHAPTER XXXI. 'THE SON OF APALANO!' 327 CHAPTER XXXII. THE TREE'S LAST MEAL 339 CHAPTER XXXIII. THE LAST OF THE GREAT DEVIL-TREE 350 CHAPTER XXXIV. A MARRIAGE AND A PARTING 360 CHAPTER XXXV. JUST IN TIME! 369 CHAPTER XXXVI. THE END 382 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. "IT WAS PASSED ABOUT; NOW LIFTED HIGH IN THE AIR BY ONE END, THEN BY THE OTHER" _Frontispiece_ "THERE BEFORE THEM ... THEY SAW THE MYSTERIOUS RORAIMA" _To face page 39_ "A SCENE THAT WAS GRATEFULLY REFRESHING" " " 72 "THE SUN WAS JUST HIGH ENOUGH TO LIGHT UP THE GLISTENING TOWERS AND CUPOLAS" " " 106