ACHABA 215 



time in getting the boats across the river, but when we 

 were within 200 yards of our prey he scrambled up 

 the bank and disappeared in the bushes, to the intense 

 disgust of my companions, who had looked upon him as 

 good as dead. We continued paddling slowly towards 

 the spot where the tapir had entered the forest until we 

 were within sixty yards of the shore, when to my surprise 

 and the joy of the men, the doomed creature walked 

 slowly down the bank and stood on the open sand staring 

 stupidly at the boats. Who were these strange beings 

 who had invaded the unfrequented solitudes of his abode ? 

 His curiosity was the cause of his death. He fell where 

 he had been standing, and died without a struggle. A 

 few hours after his flesh, cut into long strips powdered 

 with salt, was spread out to dry on a rocky island at 

 the foot of the rapids of Achaba. Like Lot's wife he 

 had fallen a victim to his curiosity ; like Lot's wife a 

 thorough salting was the punishment he suffered for 

 wanting to know too much. 



Our first camp at Achaba was at the foot of the 

 rapids, where the river after forcing its way through a 

 narrow gorge expands to the left, forming a deep calm pool 

 bounded on one side by an open stretch of sand rising 

 gradually to the hillock behind, and on the other by a 

 ledge of rock separating it from the main stream. The 

 scenery reminded me of that below the falls of Para, but 

 the hill at this place is of much smaller dimensions. It 

 had rained during the day, and when we arrived the sky 

 was still overcast, so the men built several ranclios in 

 which they slung their hammocks. Early on the follow-- 

 ing morning the work of getting the boats through the 

 gorge was begun. We crossed over to the right, the 

 bank on that side being less precipitous than that on the 



