264 Information respecting Botanical Travellers. 



it had been washed, on a trunk that stood near the place where my 

 hammock was slung. The newly washed one was missed next morn- 

 ing : my suspicion of its having been stolen fell upon some Wapi- 

 sana Indians, who were to depart next day ; and although it was a 

 new feature in the character of the Indian not contaminated by 

 the vices prevailing at the coast regions, I had no other alternative 

 to account for the absence of the hammock, which I was positive of 

 having placed the preceding evening on the trunk in my tent. As 

 to the observation of 1-rai-i, the chieftain of the settlement, that the 

 tiger most likely had carried the hammock away, I gave so little 

 credit to it that I insisted now on searching the Indian huts, but 

 without success. The party of Wapisanas departed next day, and 

 supposing they might have hid the hammock at a convenient spot to 

 take in their canoe when passing by, I sent a quick-pulling corial 

 after them to search the canoe once more, when they might have 

 considered themselves secure from further search : but no vestige of 

 the hammock was to be discovered, and they departed, very likely 

 not well satisfied with the mistrust I had shown as to their ho- 

 nesty. The small size of the tent, which did not afford sufficient 

 protection in case of rain, induced me to take possession of an unin- 

 habited hut, at some distance from the other huts. I was equally 

 annoyed with the others at the frequent visits which the tiger con- 

 tinued to pay us during dark nights, and the chase which ensued 

 ■with my dog, who though not trained for hunting the tiger, was 

 nevertheless able to molest him and to prevent his entering the huts ; 

 but the noise of the barking dog and the growls of the incensed 

 tiger, who in spite of his springs could not get at his wary anta- 

 gonist, was indescribable, and lasted generally for several hours. 

 Our attempts at securing the disturber of our rest had proved 

 hitherto fruitless, and we began to consider it as an unavoidable evil. 

 The other three Europeans who belonged to my party had taken 

 possession of the chieftain's hut, and Mr. Le Breton complained one 

 morning after the departure of the Wapisanas, that having found his 

 blanket too warm for him during the night and put it under his 

 hammock, no trace of it was to be discovered next morning. These 

 strange thefts, for which we could not account, as we put implicit 

 faith in the honesty of I-rai-i's people, became more frequent ; sauce- 

 pans, spoons, a table-cloth, which had been left about the hut, va- 

 nished one after the other. It was about this time that after an abs- 

 ence of six months I was anxious to communicate with the colony, 

 and as no time was to be lost and I had a great deal of writing to 

 get through, I was generally sitting up until after midnight. AI- 



