216 IN THE GUIANA FOREST. 



been thrust aside, and we got back to see the 

 beautiful streamers of the orchid still hanging in 

 a most tantalising manner within apparently such 

 easy reach. 



During the rainy season, however, it would be 

 impracticable even to make such an attempt. 

 Then the apparently green field is covered with 

 water varying in depth from one to three feet- 

 Sometimes one of the negro boatmen is sent into 

 this morass to bring in a dead bird that has been 

 shot, but rarely does he find it unless it is so close 

 that both bird and man can be seen from the 

 creek. Down he flounders into the water, now 

 rising on a tuft almost to the surface, and then 

 slipping to his middle in water and ooze, or perhaps 

 sprawling flat and cutting his hands with the razor 

 grass in his attempts to save himself. As he 

 cannot see where he is going there is a continual 

 hallooing of "right" or "left" as he blunders 

 along, and sometimes abuse for not knowing over 

 well the meaning of these words. The sportsmen 

 in the boat can see the muscovy duck very well, 

 but the man in the water will do much better than 

 either of them could if he gets it. 



The places we have been attempting to describe 

 are the most accessible portions of the swamp 

 what shall we say of the great tracts where the 



