S02 CARIPI. Chap. Y. 



laden, and when, after rounding a point, I saw the 

 great breadth we had to traverse, seven miles, I thought 

 the attempt to cross in such a slight vessel foolhardy in 

 the extreme. The waves ran very high : there was no 

 rudder ; Raimundo steered with a paddle, and all we 

 had to rely upon to save us from falling into the trough 

 of the sea and being instantly swamped were his nerve 

 and skill. There was just room in the boat for our 

 three selves, the dogs, and the game we had killed, and 

 whenever we fell in the hollow of a sea our instant 

 destruction seemed inevitable ; as it was, we shipped 

 a little water now and then. Joaquim assisted with 

 his paddle to steady the boat : my time was fully 

 occupied in baling out the water and watching the 

 dogs, which were crowded together in the prow, yelling 

 with fear ; one or other of them occasionally falling 

 over the side and causing great commotion in scrambling 

 in again. Off the point was a ridge of rocks, over 

 which the surge raged furiously. Raimundo sat at the 

 stern, rigid and silent ; his eye steadily watching the 

 prow of the boat. It was almost worth the risk and 

 discomfort of the passage to witness the seamanlike 

 ability displayed by Indians on the water. The little 

 boat rode beautifully, rising well with each wave, and 

 in the course of an hour and a half we arrived at CarijDi, 

 thoroughly tired and wet through to the skin. 



I will here make a few observations reo^ardino^ the 

 Paca and the Cutia, although there is little to relate of 

 their habits in addition to what is contained in natural 

 history books. The Paca is the Coelogenys Paca of 

 zoologists, and the Cutia the Dasjq^rocta Aguti, or a 



