( S8 ^ 



but to turn hack, and meanwhile it was nearly 1 oilock, and in the most wretched of 

 spirits we began the return journey. Two days of suffering through thirst, bad roads, 

 legs badlv lacerated, all for nothing. We wandered on thus under the burning sun, 

 no one uttering a sound, for about an liour, when suddenly Silva halted and shouted, 

 'Here is a large i/aldpago\' and really there was a huge one wandering along. It 

 must have weighed two hundredweight, and its carapace measured 39 inches in 

 length. We could not dream of bringing this giant alive into camp, and so it was 

 necessary to kill the beast. We suffered most awfully from thirst, and 1 at once 

 started to try the water in the sack above the heart, about which I had read so much. 

 It was most refreshing, and only tasted somewhat like white of egg ; we found over 

 five cups full, and each of us who wanted got his share. We ate the liver, which was 

 bigger than that of a calf, and all the remaining meat which was eatable was put into 

 a -sack and carried with us. The cutting up took over an hour. It was half-past 

 two, and if we walked smartly we could .still reach the group of manzanilla trees, 

 in order to camp there. Silva took the carapace on his back, and off we started. 



" It was a long tramp, but about 6.30 p.m. we erected our camp under the trees, 

 it ha\ing already got dark. Karly ne.xt morning we stnxck camp, and arri\ed about 

 7 a.m. in the harbour. 



"But Silva declared that farther west there were much bigger tortoises, so if 

 such exist we must get them. 



"Already the following moniing, July 2()th, I set out with Silva and a sailor 

 towards the supposed locality. For four and a half hours we proceeded along the 

 beach to the westward, at first across wide sandbanks which afford an excellent place 

 for the study of the various birds' footprints, but farther on across steep rocks and 

 sharp lava. On the projecting water-surrounded and rugged banks of lava numerous 

 marine iguanas, often 4 feet long, were sunning themselves, but drew back into 

 the clefts at our approach. 



" Suddenly the road ceased, for the mangroves grew right down to and into the 

 water; in consequence we had to cut our way through with ase and knife. About 

 midday we arrived at a straw-built hut, which had formerly been built l\v Cobos' 

 people when they caught tortoises to make oil. I strolled round the hut, and 

 discovered about two dozen shells of small tortoises. In some of these I still found 

 the skulls attached, and so I was able to make a good collection. At 2 o'clock we 

 left the hut, and, after a hard struggle against the thick scrub and broken lava, 

 encamped on top of the height. From time to time we came across large tortoise 

 shells, under which I generally found a family of small geckos and big black ants. 

 " On the following day, shortly before 6 o'clock, we again set out, and after a long 

 march, as usual cut step by step with the axe, we halted at 12 o'clock. On the way 

 I caught a lot of land-shells, which sat on the long grass. Vegetation hero was most 

 verdant and prolific. We saw on the way several tortoises, among them one measuring 

 quite 39 inches over the carapace, but we were after larger ones. Continually we 

 encountered wide ])aths through the grass evidently made by large animals, but none 

 were fresh-made. At last we came across a puddle, which was in a hollow in the 

 lava. After a good meal of tortoise soup and roast tortoise liver, we laid aside all 

 superfluous baggage, and set about the search in earnest. At the end of twenty 

 minutes we found an old female whose shell just spanned 39 inches, and I was about 

 cutting her up, when I heard the others, who had continued the hunt, calling. I 

 hurried up to them, and beheld a gigantic monster, such as I had never before seen. 

 The carapace measured in length 56 inches, 60 inches across, and alxiut 2.') inches 



