20 A NATURALIST IN THE GUIANAS 



munication in this country of impenetrable forest may, to 

 a certain extent, be responsible for the existence of so great 

 a number of dialects. The prevalence of long-standing 

 blood-feuds between neighbouring villages may also, by 

 the isolation w^hich they tended to produce, have con- 

 tributed to these divergencies from a common language. 



As Isidor and his companions told their stories in the 

 ruddy glovi^ of the v^ood fire, using in their excitement 

 many forcible gestures, they so impressed my boy Guy, 

 that he got up and removed his hammock from the outer 

 part of the rancJio v^here he had slung it, and begged 

 me to allow him to sleep between the Indians and myself. 

 He was resolved that he, at least, would not be made a 

 meal of by the jaguar, a token of whose presence in the 

 neighbourhood we had seen on our arrival. 



Towards midnight it rained heavily, and we con- 

 gratulated ourselves that we were mider shelter. 



Isidor and Sylvestre were astir early, and woke me bj' 

 their movements. They were splitting wood, with which 

 they made a torch, while I watched them lazily from my 

 hammock. Although it was quite dark, many curassows 

 were calling in the forest around us, while now and again 

 a tinamu would utter its long-drawn tremulous note. 

 The Indians, having completed their arrangements, 

 started out together. Isidor carried m}^ twelve-bore, 

 while Sylvestre went in front, holding aloft the torch 

 they had made, which cast a bright glare around. They 

 had not been gone many minutes when a report, followed 

 by a thud, told me that they had succeeded in killing a 

 curassow. After a short while they fired again. When 

 they returned to camp they brought two Paujis. They 

 could have shot more, they said, but why waste powder 

 and shot when we had enough game for breakfast and 



