298 EXCURSIONS ABOUND EGA. Chap. IV. 



interrupted by the roar of jaguars in the jungle about 

 a furlong distant. There was not one only, but several 

 of the animals. The older men showed considerable 

 alarm, and proceeded to light fresh fires around the out- 

 side of our encampment. I had read in books of travel 

 of tigers coming to warm themselves by the fires of a 

 bivouac, and thought my strong wish to witness the 

 same sight would have been gratified to-night. I had 

 not, however, such good fortune, although I was the last 

 to go to sleep, and my bed was the bare sand under a 

 little arched covering open at both ends. The jaguars, 

 nevertheless, must have come very near during the night, 

 for their fresh footmarks were numerous within a score 

 yards of the place where we slept. In the morning I 

 had a ramble along the borders of the jungle, and found 

 the tracks very numerous and close together on the 

 sandy soil. 



We remained in this neighbourhood four days, and 

 succeeded in obtaining many hundred turtles, but we 

 were obliged to sleep two nights within the Carapana- 

 tiiba channel. The first night passed rather pleasantly, 

 for the weather was fine and we encamped in the forest, 

 making large fires and slinging our hammocks between 

 the trees. The second was one of the most miserable 

 nights I ever spent. The air was close, and a drizzling 

 rain began to fall about midnight, lasting until morning. 

 We tried at first to brave it out under the trees. 

 Several very large fires were made, lighting up with 

 ruddy gleams the magnificent foliage in the black 

 shades around our encampment. The heat and smoke 

 had the desired effect of keeping off pretty well the 



