156 THE VILLAGE OF MAYPUKES. 



at nightfall, without any accident, in the port of May 

 pures. The night was extremely dark, and it was 

 two hours or more before they could reach the village. 

 They were wet to the skin. In proportion as the rain 

 ceased, the zancudos re-appeared, with that voracit;y 

 which tipulary insects always display immediately after 

 a storm. Their fellow-travellers were uncertain whether 

 it would be best to stop in the port or proceed Qn their 

 way on foot, in spite of the darkness of the night. 

 Father Zea was determined to reach his home. He had 

 given directions for the construction of a large house of 

 two stories, which was to be begun by the Indians of 

 the mission. " You will there find," said he gravely, " the 

 same conveniences as in the open air; I have neither 

 a bench nor a table, but you will not suffer so much 

 from the flies, which are less troublesome in the mission 

 than on the banks of the river." They followed the 

 counsel of the missionary, who caused torches of copal 

 to be lio^lited. Thev walked at first over beds of rock, 

 w^hich were bare and slippery, and then entered a thick 

 grove of palm-trees. They were twice obliged to pass 

 a stream on trunks of trees hewn down. The torches 

 had already ceased to give light. Being formed on a 

 strange principle, the wood}^ substance which resembled 

 the wick surrounding the resin, they emitted more smoke 

 than light, and were easily extinguished. The Indian 

 pilot, who expressed himself with some facility in Span- 

 ish, told the travellers of snakes, water-serpents, and 

 tigers, by which they might be attacked. 



Arriving during the night at Maypures they were 

 forcibly struck by the solitude of the place ; the Indians 

 were plunged in profound sleep, and nothing was heard 



