198 EDGE OF THE JUNGLE 



selves, are part and parcel of the romance, since 

 they are not alone a quaint and poetic people, 

 but the direct descendants of those remote Amer- 

 icans who were the first to see the caravels of 

 Columbus. Indeed, he paid the initial tribute 

 to their skill, for in the diary of his first voyage 

 he writes, — 



"A great many Indians in canoes came to 

 the ship to-day for the purpose of bartering their 

 cotton, and hamacas or nets in which they sleep." 



It is supposed that this name owes its being 

 to the hamack tree, from the bark of which 

 they were woven. However that may be, the 

 modern hammock of these tropical Red Men is 

 so light and so delicate in texture that during 

 the day one may wear it as a sash, while at night 

 it forms an incomparable couch. 



But one does not drop off to sleep in this be- 

 fore a just and proper preparation. This pre- 

 sents complexities. First, the hammock must 

 be slung with just the right amount of tautness; 

 then, the novice must master the knack of wind- 

 ing himself in his blanket that he may slide gently 

 into his aerial bed and rest at right angles to the 

 tied ends, thus permitting the free side-meshes 

 to curl up naturally over his feet and head. This 



