HUNTING THE JAGUAR 33 



the traveler will do well to conform to their cus- 

 toms. For instance, in the early morning I took 

 coffee and crackers; between ten and eleven a 

 hearty breakfast; in the afternoon we made tea, 

 and at night we had dinner. This is the English 

 custom of Guiana, and when one has more or 

 less strenuous matters to attend to the hours are 

 excellent, for between eleven and four in the 

 afternoon it is much too hot to be about, and it 

 is only during the morning hours and the late 

 afternoon that we went on our way, excepting on 

 rare occasions. It is quite the same, too, with 

 the wild folk, though most of our four-footed 

 animals here are nocturnal, those of the day only 

 moving about in the early morning and late after- 

 noon; so that a stranger, upon entering the 

 great forest, may be surprised at the absence of 

 life; but if at nightfall or early morning, he 

 should take up a position and remain quite still, 

 then he may be surprised again at the abundance 

 of wild life. So, having had a substantial break- 

 fast, we swung our hammocks in the shade, 

 where we dozed and idled away the long, hot 

 hours of the day. 



As the sun dipped low in the west we were 

 up and about again. After tea and a little "cas- 

 sava" bread we resumed our way. It may be 



