192 A NATURALIST IN THE GUI ANAS 



his trip : how he had killed a pauji at one spot and seen 

 a tapir at another ; and how he and Vicente had committed 

 havoc among the vwrocotos at Piritu ; to all of which I 

 listened in a dreamy sort of way, until seeing that I was 

 tired he went outside and slung his hammock between 

 two trees close to the entrance of the hut. 



During the three following days I improved sufficiently 

 to be able to stand for a few seconds at a time. On the 

 20th (January) the boats were loaded. Early on the 

 morning of the following day I was carried down to the 

 boat prepared for me, and placed on the blankets arranged 

 so that I might lie down comfortably. Then we bade 

 adieu to Pozo Bravo and our island camp, and hurried 

 down the stream aided by its powerful current. At two 

 in the afternoon we reached the Caura and took possession 

 of our hut on the bluff opposite the Nichare. That night 

 the two Indians, Isidor and Vicente, and one of the 

 Venezuelans, took the smallest boat and left us. We 

 stayed three days at the hut, during which I improved 

 slowly. On January 25 we left for La Prision, which we 

 reached on the 28th. 



