416 IN THE WILDS OF SOUTH AMERICA 



Our eight by twelve foot "balloon silk" tent had been 

 put up under a shed adjoining the house; this protected 

 it from the wind on at least one side. To be of any use in 

 the tropics, the tent must of course be provided with a 

 ground-cloth and bobbinet curtains; it should also contain 

 a window, screened with netting, in the roof. We did not 

 need the curtains, so tied them back. A brazier was kindled, 

 and after it was filled with glowing embers, it was taken into 

 the tent: it warmed the tent thoroughly within a few mo- 

 ments and kept a fire all night. The window, which was 

 always kept open, served its mission splendidly as a means 

 of ventilation. 



The owner of the hut had gone away to look for a boat, 

 and that night returned with one of ample size; but next 

 morning a furious wind was blowing, so hunting was out 

 of the question. The air was so filled with dust that one 

 could not see anything more than a few yards away, and 

 huge waves rolled in from the lake and tore hungrily at 

 the sandy banks. These storms are very common during 

 the winter months and blow up several times a week. 



The third day of our visit was beautiful. We pushed 

 the boat out of the tangle of sedges and made straight for 

 the cattails. The birds were stirring, and flock after flock 

 passed overhead. When we paddled quietly into the midst 

 of the green islets, we seemed to enter a new world, filled 

 with surprises and wonderful beyond description. The tall, 

 graceful stems of the totoras swayed gently with the swell 

 made by the passing boat, and cast long shadows in the 

 narrow lanes of glassy water they enclosed. Coots and 

 grebes, like shadows, paddled silently away and lost them- 

 selves among the reeds; ruddy ducks popped up here, there, 

 and everywhere, stared a moment, and then dived again 

 with a splash; they seemed to spend a good deal of their 

 time under water, and the fishermen frequently caught them 

 in gill-nets set along the bottom of the lake. The male 

 ruddies were in fine plumage, with deep chestnut backs, 

 white throat-patches, and bright-blue bills; they seldom 



