A FORTY DAYS' RIDE 231 



prepare supper, and always had it ready in a short time, 

 much to our relief, as there was nothing to eat between meals. 

 The other men cleared spaces, erected the tents, and cared 

 for the luggage and animals. Cherrie and I occupied a 

 fifteen by twenty-five foot balloon-silk fly that I had used 

 on the Orinoco, and this was one of the few shelters that 

 withstood the entire trip; it was used later on the Rio da 

 Duvida by Colonel Roosevelt. If there was time we went 

 on a short hunting-trip and usually secured at least a few 

 interesting and little-known mammals and birds. Night 

 in camp was invariably delightful; when the weather was 

 favorable the peons gathered great heaps of wood and made 

 a huge bonfire. Then we sat around it and listened to 

 Colonel Roosevelt telling of his hunting adventures on the 

 Western plains, in the north woods, or on the African 

 veldt — all told in such a way that we were enthralled and 

 could visualize pronghorn, cougar, bear, and lion, as well 

 as their actions in their native wilderness. Should the 

 weather be unfavorable, Cherrie and I repaired to the 

 colonel's tent for a visit; or the colonel and Kermit came 

 to see us. We discussed history, literature, and science, 

 and sometimes, if the conditions were propitious, we were 

 favored with tales of ghosts, the werewolf, and other super- 

 natural beings. I always looked forward to these occasions; 

 they are among the never-to-be-forgotten events incidental 

 to our journey through the wilds with Colonel Roosevelt. 

 It required four days' time to reach the Juruena. We 

 had been compelled to reduce the amount of baggage very 

 materially shortly after leaving the Parcels village, as many 

 of the cargo-animals had given out on the trail, and the 

 others were weakening perceptibly. It was of course im- 

 possible to cany along grain for the animals; each night 

 they were turned loose to shift for themselves, and while 

 there was an abundance of grass, the long-continued strain 

 began to tell. We abandoned most of the tents, and all 

 superfluous clothing was left behind. The equipment for 

 collecting and preserving specimens had to be reduced to 



