CRIES OF THE ANIMAL' AT NIGHT. 125 



Rio Meta, of the valour lie had displayed in a sanguinary 

 combat with the Gruahibo Indians, and the services that 

 he had rendered to God and his king, in carrying away 

 Indian children, from their parents, to distribute them 

 in the Missions. 



On the 1st of April, at sunrise, they quitted Senor 

 Don Ignacio and Senora Dona Isabella his wife. 



They passed the next night on a bare and extensive 

 strand of the river. The forest on its banks being im- 

 penetrable, they had the greatest difficulty in finding dry 

 wood to light fires. The night was calm and serene, 

 and there was a beautiful moonlight. The crocodiles, 

 stretched along the shore, placed themselves in such a 

 manner as to be able to see the fire. The travellers 

 thought they observed that its blaze attracted them, as it 

 attracts fishes, crayfish, and other inhabitants of the 

 water. The Indians showed them the tracks of three 

 tigers in the sand, two of which were very young. A 

 female had no doubt conducted her little ones to drink 

 at the river. Finding no tree near, the travellers stuck 

 their oars in the ground, and fastened their hammocks 

 to them. Everything passed tranquilly till eleven at 

 night; and then a noise so terrific arose in the neigh- 

 bouring forest, that it was almost impossible to close 

 their eyes. Amid the cries of so many wild beasts 

 howling at once, the Indians discriminated only such as 

 were at intervals heard separately. These were the little 

 soft cries of the sapajous, the moans of the alouate apes, 

 the howlings of the jaguar and couguar, the peccary, and 

 the sloth, and the cries of the curassao, the parraka, and 

 other gallinaceous birds. When the jaguars approached 

 the skirt of the forest, the dog, which accompanied the 



