A NIGHT OF MISERY 251 



Of the articles recovered a tin box containing paper 

 intended for wrapping butterflies, and a piece of pencil, 

 proved the most useful. Had we not saved these things 

 I do not know how I could have kept a record of what 

 occurred after the loss of the large boat. While we had 

 been discussing our plans for the future, Pancho had been 

 cooking some rice and beans. We made a hasty meal 

 and then loaded the small boat with the few things we 

 had left. There was still a stretch of rapids to get 

 through before leaving Arichi. Kamon, Mateo, and 

 Maite went with the boat, with instructions to meet us 

 at the foot of the rapids. We walked through the forest, 

 reaching an open spot at about five o'clock, where we 

 decided to await their arrival. But they did not come^ 

 and when darkness set in we could tell by the glare of a 

 large fire on the opposite bank that they had encamped 

 for the night. There we were on the bare rocks without 

 food or blankets, and there we spent the night in a per- 

 fect deluge of rain, a fitting end to such a day. Jacobson 

 and myself, huddled together, passed the night at the foot 

 of a tree. It was our ' Arbol de la noche triste ' — our 

 * tree of the night of sorrow.' 



April 28, — Day broke on a miserable dejected crowd, 

 benumbed with cold and weak from fasting. The boat 

 arrived early and the men made a big log-fire, around 

 which we sat while coffee was being prepared. We dried 

 the clothes clinging to our bodies by hanging over the 

 fire, warming our chilled hands and feet at the same 

 time. We had some boiled beans with our coffee, and 

 then, as had been arranged, the men started on their 

 tramp through the forest along the river's bank. Jacob- 

 son, myself, and the two paddlers pushed off into the 

 stream, allowing the boat to drift with the current. We 



