NARCOTICS AND STIMULANTS 441 



than myself, soon made up their minds about the 

 origin of the unwonted sound. It was the Yamadu, 

 in propria persona, hunting near us, and he would 

 infallibly send us terrible rain or some other 

 calamity to warn us off his territory. The soughing 

 of the approaching tempest was already heard, and 

 presently it burst upon us, with thunder and 

 lightning and deluging rain that lasted until mid- 

 night. The two following days were dull and 

 dropping, and a little later on in the day that is, 

 towards nightfall we each day heard a single 

 report, not quite so near at hand, and then we had 

 heavy rain from 7 P.M. throughout the night. My 

 people became silent and gloomy, were afraid, they 

 said, to hunt or fish, and I believe if I had re- 

 mained another night would have every one deserted 

 me. So in the afternoon of the 25th I gave the 

 order for resuming our voyage down the Casiquiari, 

 to their very great content. When I came on deck 

 shortly afterwards to see if everything was in 

 readiness for starting, I saw some of the men in a 

 tree that overhung our encampment, fastening to 

 the branches a couple of scarecrows they had rigged 

 up out of old shirts and trousers. " What does this 

 mean, Antonio ?" said I to one of them who was 

 fond of talking to me in Lingua Tupi. " Yane- 

 rangaua " (our effigies), said he. "Oh, I see," said 

 I. "You think to cheat the Yamadu. Seeino- us 



O 



up the tree, he will fancy we are still here, and will 

 not pursue us clown the river!" P>ut I had a quiet 

 laugh over it in the recesses of my cabin. It 

 reminded me of a fellow pursued by a bull, who 

 throws off hat and coat to detain the savage brute 

 until he himself can gain a place of safety. 



