DIFFICULT NAVIGATION. 77 



enabling ns to enjoy the luxury of cafe, con lecJie. "Wc 

 were amused to see our patron pound the tough, leathery, 

 jerked meat between two stones ; but it was not long be- 

 fore we learned to follow his example, and even then, with 

 our full quota of molars, experienced no slight difficulty, 

 and much hard work, in making an impression on the 

 nearest approach to leather that ever went by the honor- 

 able name of meat. 



On again, all the morning, till toward noon the banks 

 began to sink, and finally were not to be distinguished 

 from the river, save by the lines of forest that marked 

 tlieir limits. Then we knew that we had reached the 

 delta country of El Pao, and, coming to an igarap'e^ or 

 canoe-path, we turned in and deserted a river that soon 

 would have deserted us. But our igarape soon lost all 

 individuality, and we floated in a flooded, tangled forest, 

 with no path but what we might cut ourselves. The dif- 

 ficulty of this can only be apparent to those who have 

 undergone a like experience. Our bongo, long beyond all 

 ])roportion, and as cranky as is natural to a log, could 

 make no short turns, and continually suggested the possi- 

 bility of our becoming food for the caimans. Then the 

 matted and snake-like curtains of vines, aerial roots and 

 branches, hard as southern wood only can be, presented 

 an obstacle almost insurmountable, had it continued long. 

 Often, after having cut a way in one direction, we would 

 be brought to a stand-still by a fallen tree, or the neces- 

 sity of a short turn, and be obliged to back out and try 

 again. Occasionally Viviano would utter a low hush, and, 

 gathering himself into the smallest possible compass, push 

 silently back. That meant, usually, an immense nest 

 of bees, or perhaps a long, green, velvet spotted snake 

 stretched out along the branches. Sometimes the water 

 would be shallow, and we would float on a slimy mass of 

 black mud, requiring all of Viviano's strength and skill to 



