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leaped into the sea. He was a good swimmer, but his only experience had been in cool jungle pools and swift streams. The warm salt water was a surprise. He frolicked in the clear calm water, diving down to the sand bottom, and then swam through the gentle surf to the great coral reefs where the waves from the sea broke with a roar and a shower of foam. He cut himself slightly on the sharp coral, then swam back to the beach and rolled in the golden sand as the bridal party had done. Now, covered with gold, he ran laughing to the jade hut and entered it as his smiling father watched. "Now, I'm married," he shouted.

    The Whispering Grove had been tingly and spooky. The Golden Beach was beautiful. But the greatest thrill was yet to come. The Phantom's Garden of Eden.

    They rode for a day and night through the jungle, near the ocean shore. Then they came to a high bank overlooking a broad river that ran from the jungle into the sea. Across the river was a green island, heavily wooded, with a white beach. Beyond the island were the roaring breakers of the ocean.
    Kit and his father climbed a big tree on the bank. That was fun in itself. Near the top, he saw that two heavy ropes stretched from the tree, high above the river, to a tall tree on the island shore. One of the ropes slanted downward from the tree they were in; the other rope slanted upward. Following instructions he put his arms around his father's neck and held on tightly. A short rope was passed around him, tying him securely to his father's chest. "Mustn't fall into the river, it's filled with piranha," he was told. He learned later that this was a dangerous fish. His father grasped a heavy iron ring that hung from the rope. "Here we go," he said. And hanging onto the ring, they slid swiftly down the rope and so crossed the river. Kit looked down at the brown and green water far below. It seemed so inviting and peaceful. But what lurked beneath the surface? Piranha? They reached the other side, and this was the strangest and most exciting of all the things Kit had yet seen or even imagined in his short life.

    As they climbed down the tree on the island beach, some animals were waiting for them. Kit stared.
    He couldn't believe his eyes. There was a giraffe, a zebra, and an antelope. And a lion. And a leopard.
    And a tiger. And they were all standing together, peacefully waiting. Kit knew about lions and leopards. He had seen the big cat his father had killed in the Wambesi village. He looked at his father with sudden fear, still tied to his broad chest. His father smiled. "Don't be afraid. They are all our friends," he said. He dropped to the sand, and untied Kit. Instantly the animals pressed gently against them, nuzzling them, grunting, and whinnying. The big cat purred. The lion and the tiger rubbed against his father's legs, their backs arched, purring like giant housecats. It was all he could do to hold his balance, for this tiger weighed about eight hundred pounds. The lion was almost as big. The leopard was content with Kit who quickly lost his fear and rolled on the sand with the purring velvety cat.

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    Then he walked along the beach with his father, the animals galloping and racing around them, clearly expressing joy at their arrival. On the ocean side of the island, the water was cairn as a pond.
    A quarter of a mile out, the waves broke over sharp coral reefs that protected this lagoon. The lagoon itself was alive with fish of all sizes, some four or five feet long. As they watched, a long canoe approached. Several natives were paddling. They reached the lagoon and dumped live fish into it from large pots. Other larger live fish, tied in nets and pulled along underwater by the canoe, were released in the lagoon. The big cats bounded into the water, thrashing about as they chased fish. Soon they came out of the water, carrying their catch in their jaws. The Phantom waved to the fishermen who waved as they paddled away. "The Mod," he explained. "The best