264 THROUGH THE BRAZILIAN WILDERNESS 



ulceration of one foot, three men whom the fever had ren- 

 dered unable longer to walk, and six men who were as yet 

 well enough to handle the canoe. By the time the re- 

 mainder of the party came to the next navigable river eleven 

 more fever-stricken men had nearly reached the end of their 

 tether. Here they ran across a poor devil who had for 

 four months been lost in the forest and was dying of slow 

 starvation. He had eaten nothing but Brazil-nuts and the 

 grubs of insects. He could no longer walk, but could sit 

 erect and totter feebly for a few feet. Another canoe was 

 built, and in it Pyrineus started down-stream with the 

 eleven fever patients and the starving wanderer. Colonel 

 Rondon kept up the morale of his men by still carrying out 

 the forms of military discipline. The ragged bugler had 

 his bugle. Lieutenant Pyrineus had lost every particle of 

 his clothing except a hat and a pair of drawers. The half- 

 naked lieutenant drew up his eleven fever patients in line; 

 the bugle sounded; every one came to attention; and the 

 haggard colonel read out the orders of the day. Then the 

 dugout with its load of sick men started down-stream, and 

 Rondon, Lyra, Amarante, and the twelve remaining men 

 resumed their weary march. When a fortnight later they 

 finally struck a camp of rubber-gatherers three of the men 

 were literally and entirely naked. Meanwhile Amilcar had 

 ascended the Jacyparana a month or two previously with 

 provisions to meet them; for at that time the maps incor- 

 rectly treated this river as larger, instead of smaller, than 

 the Gy-Parana, which they were in fact descending; and 

 Colonel Rondon had supposed that they were going down 

 the former stream. Amilcar returned after himself suf- 

 ering much hardship and danger. The different parties 



