AND A JOURNEY OVER THE LLANOS OF CUM AN A. 31 



the water we had, when practicable, elevated our sleeping places as 

 high as possible. For this purpose I had constructed a hammock of 

 strips of manatee leather ; and this I had generally slung either 

 on the branch of some tree or on two oars. After arranging every 

 thing on board, the greater part of the crew and myself swam on 

 shore for the purpose of collecting fuel. Some time was spent by 

 the men in this labour, whilst I strolled about as far as the nature of 

 the ground would permit. Before returning on board, I scrambled 

 upon one of the rocks, for the sake of enjoying a more extensive look 

 out ; when I reached its summit, for it was barely thirty feet high, I 

 found that by a little stretching I could touch the extreme branches 

 of a noble zamang-tree, whose round head and silvery and feathery- 

 looking leaves had attracted the admiration of the whole party. By 

 a still greater effort I managed to pull within my grasp a stronger 

 branch, and swinging myself from the rock, after a good deal of 

 struggling I landed safely in the midst of the thicker and stronger 

 portions. Calling my Zambos, I desired them to swim on board, and 

 bring me my hammock, which I at once had resolved to suspend in 

 the tree. During their absence I selected two forked arms, as suit- 

 able places for attaching it to, and pleased myself with the anticipa- 

 tions of a delicious night's repose, free from the bites of musquitos and 

 the alarm of jaguars. They had some difficulty in getting the cot 

 within arm's length, but we did succeed ; and after desiring them to 

 come in the morning to assist me in my descent, I dismissed them to 

 sleep in the boat. Some time was spent in arranging my bed, sling- 

 ing it by means of a rope to the points I had selected ; this being 

 effected, I at once stretched myself out and prepared for rest. We 

 had had a toilsome day, and as I freely entered into all the labours 

 and perils of my companions, I felt much fatigued. The distant 

 sound of the rapids, the hum of a myriad of insects, the remote calls 

 of the monkeys and jaguars, the napping of the wings of various 

 flocks of birds, as they were leaving the river, produced, if I may so 

 term it, a noisy silence favourable to repose. I must, indeed, have 

 gone to sleep almost immediately, for my memory can recall nothing 

 but a brief duration of such sounds. 



When I awoke in the morning I was much surprised at the mani- 

 fest lateness of the hour, as it had been proposed to start early. The 

 sun was not visible, in consequence of the haziness of the atmosphere ; 

 but from the nature of the light, I was certain that it must be at the 

 earliest the middle of the forenoon. It must have rained heavily in 

 the night, for I was drenched to the skin, whilst my leathern domi- 

 cile had yielded, in consequence of the soaking it had undergone, and 

 I found myself in a deep and slippery sack. I was chilled and stiff, 

 and made instant efforts to free myself from my by no means pleasant 

 trap. This was a work of no little labour ; however, it engaged my 

 attention so completely, that I had not even found time to look abroad ; 

 but when I did so, what a strange, dreadful, and perplexing scene 

 presented itself! The promontory on which my habitation was fixed 

 was now a sheet of water, which extended far far as the eye could 

 reach, till it was lost in the gloom of the forest. The rapids had dis- 

 appeared ; the solitary rock, to which the boat had been moored, was 



