54 RUBBER 



such opportunity ? I had got to look upon the heavy 

 oily seeds in their dappled skins as become very precious, 

 after having backed them dowoi so many long days 

 tramping across the forest plateaux, and so lost no 

 time in getting them carefully stowed under the tolda 

 of the canoe, and starting away downstream, duly 

 meeting the steamer, as appointed, at the mouth of 

 the Tapajos. 



"I found Murray crabbed and sore from the ex- 

 periences with his two rascally supercargoes. It 

 appeared they had given instructions to land the whole 

 of the trade- goods with which his ship had been 

 freighted ostensibly for purchase of incoming rubber- 

 season crop at the town of Manaos. He was then to 

 anchor his ship at the boca of the Rio Negro and 

 * await orders,' they meanwhile to dispose of the goods, 

 and to advise when they had got together sufficient 

 rubber in order to load ship for the return trip. The 

 time becoming unaccountably long, he landed, and 

 on making inquiry he could only learn that the goods 

 had indeed been disposed of, but no one could give any 

 information as to his two supercargoes, and so found 

 himself left with an empty ship on his hands. 



" For my part, as the fine ship sped on her way with 

 my prospective Hevea so far safe aboard, slung up fore 

 and aft in their crates in the roomy, empty forehold, 

 I became more and more exercised and concerned with 

 a new anxiety, so as not much to heed Murray's 

 grumpiness. We were bound to call in at the city 

 of Para, as the port of entry, in order to obtain clear- 

 ance for the ship before we could go to sea. I was 

 perfectly certain in my mind that if the authorities 

 guessed the purpose of what I had on board, we should 



