METHOD OF CAMPING J 95 



spent repairing the boats and getting everything ready 

 for our start on the following day. 



When we left the settlement on the 22nd our party 

 consisted of fourteen men with three boats. The Indians 

 who had formed part of the expedition to the Nichare, 

 with the exception of Maite, refused to go with me on 

 this occasion. They said the dry sesaon was coming to 

 an end, and should the rains set in early we would be 

 unable to cross the falls of Para on our return, which 

 would mean death from starvation. Although I realised 

 that there was a good deal of reason in their arguments, 

 I determined to make the attempt. Besides Jacobson and 

 Villegente there were in this expedition the three men 

 from Trinidad, Pedro Hospedales, Freddy Hospedales, 

 and Pedro Asoque; the Venezuelans from La Prision, 

 Pancho Montenegro, Epifanio Munoz, Juan Silva, 

 Laureano Kodriguez, Bamon Kamirez, Mateo Ramirez 

 and his son, and Luis Urbana, alias 'the Pirate.' 



The river was so low that we were able to ascend the 

 rapids of Mura by the channel of Cinco mil pesos. Maite 

 told us that he did not remember ever having seen so 

 little water in the Caura. At night we encamped on an 

 island at the head of the rapids. For Jacobson and 

 Villegente, and the other men whom I had brought from 

 Trinidad, pitching camp was an easy matter not occupy- 

 ing more than a couple of minutes. In addition to his 

 hammock each man had a long oil-cloth. By tying a 

 pole between the two trees to which the hammock was 

 slung, the oil-cloth could be placed so as to afford complete 

 protection from rain. The Venezuelans who were not 

 similarly provided were in the habit, if the weather 

 happened to be rainy, of building ranclios under which 

 they passed the night. Poles being lashed to four trees 



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