244 IN THE WILDS OF SOUTH AMERICA 



made mound being marked by a rude cross without name 

 or inscription; they indicated the burial sites of camaradas, 

 victims to the dread beri-beri and malaria. 



During our second night's camp we heard the gruff, 

 cough-like roar of a jaguar not far away, and next morning 

 the men reported that the creature had killed one of the 

 oxen. I went to see the slain animal and found that it was 

 badly bitten about the neck and that one of the thighs had 

 been partly eaten ; in its enfeebled state the ox had been an 

 easy kill for the big spotted cat. We made no attempt to 

 follow the jaguar, but shouldered our guns and started on 

 the home-stretch of the long journey. Again it rained 

 heavily, though intermittently, and frequently the mud 

 was knee-deep: but the knowledge that the river and rest 

 lay but thirteen kilometres away acted as a stimulus to 

 the men, and even the weary animals responded to the 

 ceaseless urging of their drivers and panted along as if they, 

 too, understood that the end of their toil was at hand. 



At about four o'clock that afternoon our destination was 

 reached. From the top of a rather high hill we had an un- 

 obstructed view down the wide, newly cleared lane through 

 the forest; a small cluster of mud-walled, palm-thatched 

 huts nestled in the depression at the foot of the hill, with 

 a patch of corn and rice growing to one side; a hundred 

 yards beyond sparkled the river, and on all sides of the 

 little clearing rose the Amazonian forest. The little build- 

 ing housing the telegraphic equipment was placed at our 

 disposal, and tents were erected for the camaradas, who 

 straggled in with the footsore pack-train until a late hour. 

 The animals were given their liberty and bountiful feeds of 

 corn and fodder, so that within a week many of them were 

 in condition to start on the back trail, a comparatively 

 easy trip, as there were no heavy loads to carry. Many of 

 the natives were also sent back, while others were retained 

 in the service of the expedition; one detachment was sent 

 to the camp of the laborers who were working on the tele- 

 graph-line, which extended two kilometres beyond. This 



