128 TROUBLED WITH ZANCUDOS. 



walk on without running, avoided moving his arms, and 

 thought he observed that the jaguar's attention was fixed 

 on a herd of capybaras which was crossing the river. 

 He then began to return, making a large circuit toward 

 the edge of the water. He was often tempted to look 

 back in order to assure himself that he was not pursued ! 

 Happily he yielded very tardily to this desire. The 

 jaguar had remained motionless. He arrived at the boat 

 out of breath, and related his adventure to the Indians. 

 They appeared very little interested by it ; yet, after the 

 party had loaded their guns, they accompanied him to 

 the ceiba beneath which the jaguar had lain. He was 

 there no longer. 



The 4th of April was the last day that they passed on 

 the Eio Apure. During several days they had suffered 

 cruelly from the stings of zancudos, which covered their 

 faces and hands. These insects were gnats, though very 

 different from those that they had seen in Europe. They 

 appeared only after sunset. Their proboscis was so long 

 that, when they fixed on the lower surface of a hammock, 

 they pierced through it and the thickest garments with 

 their sting. 



The travellers had intended to pass the night at the 

 Yuelta del Palmito, but the number of jaguars at that 

 part of the Apure was so great that the Indians found 

 two hidden behind the trunk of a locust-tree, at the 

 moment when they were going to sling their hammocks. 

 Finding no trees to which they could suspend their ham- 

 mocks, they were obliged to sleep on ox-hides spread on 

 the ground. The boats were too narrow and too full of 

 zancudos to permit them to pass the night in them. 



In the place where they had landed their instruments, 



