Chai-. XV. THE FOREST ENTERED.- '249 



away obstructions with his machete, and the rest of our little 

 party followed. Between lordly trees of great height the 

 ground was entirely choked up with creepers, fallen masses of 

 tangled bamboo, and long tendrils which twisted round our 

 anldes, and tripped us up at every step. Ten miles on open 

 ground is only equal to one over such country as this. In 

 many places we had to scramble through the same dense 

 forest, along the verge of giddy precipices which overhung 

 the river. Often we came upon tracks where a giant of the 

 forest had fallen, bearing all before it, and finally dashing 

 over the cliif into the river below. The Tambopata was boil- 

 ing and surging over a rocky bed, at times far below us, 

 while at others we took advantage of a short strip of rocky 

 beach to escape the forest. Thus we struggled on until sun- 

 set, when we reached a stony beach, and encamped for the 

 night. This had been a most fatiguing march. In some 

 places we were a quarter of an hour forcing and cutting our 

 way through a space of twenty yards, and the halt was most 

 welcome. It was a wild scene as the darkness closed romid : 

 the camp-fire and Indians on the beach, the dense gloomy 

 forest close behind, the boiling river in front, and forest-clad 

 mountains rising up on the other side. 



From this, the first day of our forest-life, until the 1 ith of 

 May, being just a fortnight, we were actively engaged in the 

 examination of the chinchona region, and in the collection of 

 plants. As the best way of recording the results of our in- 

 vestigations, I now propose to give a detailed account of our 

 proceedings from day to day ; and, in the following chapter, 

 to recapitulate our observations with special reference to the 

 climate, soil, and general habit of those species of chinchonsB 

 which came immediately under our notice. I owe much to 

 the intelligent assistance of our guide Martinez, who, to 

 great experience in woodcraft, added a lynx's eye for a Cali- 

 •saj^a-plant ; and it required no little quickness and penetration 



