IN THE VALLEY OF THE RIO CAMAPUAO. 125 



Having been very showery all the morning, we had not 

 struck the tents, but in three-quarters of an hour the pack- 

 ing was done, the chickens were shoved into a chimney- 

 shaped wicker basket, the fowls, their legs tied together, 

 were hung at the side of the cart, head downwards, the 

 cock perched on the top gave a final crow, and we started ; 

 a goodly company our two selves, eight men, ox-cart with 

 ten oxen, and four men and boys as drivers. 



Just above the old camp was a horribly rough place at 

 the edge of a huge barrancada. The wheels on one side 

 sank into a kind of rut ; the cart was at nearly 20, and 

 looked as if it must tumble over ; the oxen would not move. 

 Then began yells and howls. Some of my men jumped 

 on the cart to prevent its turning over, others goaded 

 the poor oxen and twisted their tails. At length they 

 moved, and in time got up the slope. A quarter of an 

 hour later we came to the will-o'-the-wisp swamp, and here 

 the men found that they had not enough oxen, a dilemma 

 we had anticipated when we saw only ten in the cart 

 They were again unyoked, and allowed to roam about and 

 feed, while two men went after some more cattle. This 

 additional delay was too much to give in to ; so, leaving 

 all our men in charge, with orders not to leave the cart till 

 they joined us, we rode on ahead to find accommodation 

 for the night at the general shop of the village near the 

 new camp, as of course there was no hope of the cart 

 arriving that day. The cock crowed us a farewell, and 

 was much excited at being answered by a crow from a hut 

 close by. 



On the road we came across two snakes, a jararacussu 

 and a long thin slaty-blue one. 



Arriving at the village of Camapuao, we put up at 

 the only house available, and were not only most kindly 



