WANDERINGS IN SOUTH AMERICA 311 



were about two hours distant from the place 

 where the gum-elastic trees grew. After a day 

 and a night's rest I went to them, and with my 

 own hands made a fine ball of pure India-rubber ; 

 it hardened immediately it became exposed to the 

 air, and its elasticity was almost incredible. 



While procuring it, exposure to the rain, which 

 fell in torrents, brought on a return of inflamma- 

 tion in the stomach, and I was obliged to have 

 recourse again to the lancet, and to use it with 

 an unsparing hand. I wanted another ball, but 

 was not in a state the next morning to proceed to 

 the trees. A fine interesting young Indian ob- 

 serving my eagerness to have it, tendered his 

 services, and asked me two handsful of fish-hooks 

 for his trouble. 



Off he went, and to my great surprise returned 

 in a very short time. Bearing in mind the trouble 

 and time it had cost me to make a ball, I could 

 account for this Indian's expedition in no other 

 way except that, being an inhabitant of the forest, 

 he knew how to go about his work in a much 

 shorter way than I did. His ball, to be sure, had 

 very little elasticity in it. I tried it repeatedly, 

 but it never rebounded a yard high. The young 

 Indian watched me with great gravity, and when 

 I made him understand that I expected the ball 

 would dance better, he called another Indian, who 

 knew a little English, to assure me that I might 

 be quite easy on that score. The young rogue, 

 in order to render me a complete dupe, brought 

 the new moon to his aid. He gave me to under- 

 stand that the ball was like the little moon, which 

 he pointed to, and by the time it grew big and old, 



