CANELOS TO BANGS 139 



prepared large draughts of masato for the men, as 

 they said, to give them force, and the process was 

 repeated once or twice during the day. They had 

 also generally their marked resting-places, where 

 they made long halts after carrying their loads an 

 hour or an hour and a half together. On reaching 

 one of these, the women used to cut palm-leaves 

 and spread them on the ground, and the men, after 

 depositing their loads, threw themselves on the 

 leaves at full length. This day they had made 

 very long halts, so that although we went along 

 very slowly, and I often delayed to pluck a moss 

 from the branches, we had got far ahead of them. 

 The day was wearing away, and the clouds and 

 rain made the forest so gloomy that night seemed 

 nearer than it actually was. We waited a good 

 while at a place that seemed convenient for the 

 ranchos, till I began to shiver with cold, and I 

 actually turned back to see what had become of 

 them. The Indians from the first had been com- 

 plaining, more suo, of the heavy cargoes, then of 

 the rain and the wet forest, and of the long dis- 

 tance they had to go. They might at any instant 

 leave their cargoes and return to Canelos, without 

 giving us a hint. Such a thing had happened many 

 and many a time. Even these very Indians on 

 their last journey towards the Sierra conducting 

 the Padre and his cargoes left him and his goods 

 at the Rio Verde, a day's journey from Barios. 

 The night is generally chosen for these elopements, 

 and when day breaks the unfortunate traveller finds 

 himself alone. Fortunately, my misgivings in this 

 instance were without foundation, and after I had 

 gone back a good distance I heard the voices of 



