Chaf. III. MOUTH OF THE TEFFfi. 177 



channels, each about a mile in breadth. We kept 

 to the southernmost of these, travelling all day on 

 the 30th April along a high and rather sloping 

 bank. 



In the evening we arrived at a narrow opening, which 

 would be taken by a stranger navigating the main 

 channel for the outlet of some insignificant stream : it 

 was the mouth of the Teffe, on whose banks Ega is 

 situated, the termination of our voyage. After having 

 struggled for thirty-five days with the muddy currents 

 and insect pests of the Solimoens, it was unspeakably 

 refreshing to find one's-self again in a dark-water 

 river, smooth as a lake and free from Pium and Motuca. 

 The rounded outline, small foliage, and sombre green 

 of the woods, which seemed to rest on the glassy waters, 

 made a pleasant contrast to the tumultuous piles of 

 rank, glaring, light-green vegetation, and torn, timber- 

 strewn banks to which we had been so long accustomed 

 on the main river. The men rowed lazily until night- 

 fall, when, having done a laborious day's work, they 

 discontinued and went to sleep, intending to make 

 for Ega in the morning. It was not thought worth 

 while to secure the vessel to the trees or cast anchor, as 

 there was no current. I sat up for two or three hours 

 after my companions had gone to rest, enjoying the 

 solemn calm of the night. Not a breath of air stirred; the 

 sky was of a deep blue, and the stars seemed to stand 

 forth in sharp relief ; there was no sound of life in the 

 woods, except the occasional melancholy note of some 

 nocturnal bird. I reflected on my own wandering life : I 

 had now reached the end of the third stage of my journey, 



VOL. II. x 



