262 A NATURALIST IN THE GUIANAS 



events of that disastrous day in the rapids of Arichi. How 

 different was the scenery to that of a few weeks ago ! When 

 we had passed through these rapids on the up journey the 

 day had been a hot sunny one. The river was then low, 

 with exposed rocks and snags everywhere, through which 

 the water rushed in foaming channels. The same place is 

 now a flood of yellowish brown stretching from shore to 

 shore, and is quite tame when compared with the scenery 

 we had admired when the river was low. 



May 8. — It was only towards morning that I man- 

 aged to sleep a little. Up to about three o'clock I lay 

 awake thinking, and the subject was food. All the 

 markets I had ever visited were brought back to me with 

 extraordinary vividness, from meat-laden Leadenhall to the 

 little market at Panama, with its piles of bright yellow pine- 

 apples and its heaps of vegetables. Even when I dozed off 

 it was to dream of food. Again it rained heavily towards 

 daybreak, and this caused the men to discuss our chances 

 of being able to pass the whirlpool below the falls of Para, 

 should we succeed in getting so far. I tried my best to 

 reassure them, although I could not help feeling anxious 

 myself about such a contingency. By eight o'clock it 

 cleared up and we paddled out into mid-stream to drift with 

 the current, the others having started about an hour 

 before. It was not long before we overtook them, but 

 we did not stop until we reached the mouth of the small 

 affluent, the Maivi. We landed on some rocks on the 

 opposite bank as the men would require the boat to cross 

 the stream, and we spread our soaked things out to dry. 

 As we had heard four or five shots in the forest Pancho 

 lighted a fire and put the pot full of water to boil, so that 

 everything might be ready for cooking if the men brought 

 any game. Mateo is much better now and can walk a 



