258 A NATURALIST IN THE GUIANAS 



them. We were glad to get out and stretch our cramped 

 limbs, while Pancho lighted a fire to cook the penelope I 

 had killed. The men brought quantities of a yellow fruit 

 called kosoibo. They had come across a tree laden with 

 ripe fruit, and after eating as much as they could they 

 had very thoughtfully filled their hats and the bosoms of 

 their shirts. It was the first time I had seen this fruit, 

 which in appearance is much like a lemon, but the rind 

 is hard and cracks easily on being squeezed, exposing a 

 soft white pulp enveloping two large flesh-coloured seeds. 

 The pulp possesses an agreeable taste, being sweet with a 

 slightly acid flavour. At the time I thought the kosoibo 

 the most delicious fruit I had ever eaten. We also ob- 

 tained at this place the core of a species of palm which 

 is a very eatable vegetable when boiled. This palm does 

 not appear to exist in the immediate vicinity of Ameha. 

 In fact, since leaving the mountain this was the first day 

 on which we saw any, but I knew that we would be pretty 

 certain to meet with it from time to time on our way. It 

 rained all the time breakfast was being prepared, and as I 

 was suffering from fever one of the men slung a hammock 

 between two trees so that I might rest, and to keep the 

 rain off he spread a couple of blankets over me. We 

 hurried through our meal and again the men went on 

 ahead, we in the boat following afterwards. My com- 

 panions had recognised that if we meant to reach Para 

 we could not afford to waste time on the way. We drifted 

 down, stopping from time to time so as not to outdistance 

 those who were cutting their way through the bush. It 

 was quite late when we stopped for the night, those who 

 had to tramp through the forest dropping in shortly after- 

 wards, bringing four curassows they had killed on the way. 

 Most of the men passed wretched nights. Having lost 



