254 A NATURALIST IN THE GITIANAS 



I succeeded in getting them to start at midday. They 

 took some rice and beans and those who had hammocks 

 and blankets carried them. It was arranged that they 

 should push on, covering as much ground as possible, 

 and we would meet them on the following day. This I 

 knew we could easily do, as we could travel ever so much 

 faster in the boat than they on land. I spent the after- 

 noon in my hammock, thinking over the disastrous occur- 

 rence of the 27th (April). Every moment some fresh loss 

 would be brought home to me, intensifying the bitterness 

 I felt when I recalled the events of that fatal day. At 

 night I had an attack of fever which lasted until morning. 



April 30. — When Maite went down to the spot where 

 the boat had been moored he found her high and dry on 

 the rocks, the river having fallen considerably during the 

 night. We had to take all her cargo out, and after much 

 trouble we succeeded in floating her. Jacobson was too 

 weak to give a hand. Mateo either could not or would 

 not assist. Ramon had gone on with the others, so as to 

 make room for the sick man. Maite and myself were 

 therefore the only ones able to work. It must have been 

 past one o'clock when, everything being ready, we helped 

 Mateo down to the boat. I could not help noticing how 

 swollen his leg was, and as I felt certain that this was 

 due to the tightness with which the creepers had been 

 bound round his thigh, I insisted on cutting the ligature. 

 There was much inflammation around the cauterised part, 

 which had become an ugly wound. 



When we started the sky was overcast and there was 

 a slight drizzle which increased, after we had paddled for 

 about an hour, to a steady downpour. We passed one of 

 the spots where we had slept on the up journey. This was 

 the place where Maite had caught the large Aijmara and 



