SOUTH AMERICA. 45 



nor purple-heart tree in the neighbourhood to 

 make a wood skin to carry you over, so that you 

 are obliged to swim across ; and by the time you 

 have formed a kind of raft, composed of boughs of 

 trees and coarse grass, to ferry over your baggage, 

 the day will be too far spent to think of proceeding. 

 You must be very cautious before you venture 

 to swim across this creek, for the alligators are 

 numerous, and near twenty feet long. On the 

 present occasion, the Indians took uncommon pre- 

 cautions, let they should be devoured by this cruel 

 and voracious reptile. They cut long sticks, and 

 examined closely the side of the creek for half a 

 mile above and below the place where it was to be 

 crossed; and as soon as the boldest had swam over, 

 he did the same on the other side, and then all 

 followed. 



After passing the night on the opposite bank, 

 which is well wooded, it is a brisk walk of nine 

 hours before you reach four Indian huts, on a 

 rising ground, a few hundred paces from a little 

 brook, whose banks are covered over with cou- 

 courite and asta trees. 



This is the place you ought to have come to, 

 two days ago, had the water permitted you. In 

 crossing the plain at the most advantageous place, 

 you are above ankle-deep in water for three hours ; 

 the remainder of the way is dry, the ground gently 

 rising. As the lower parts of this spacious plain 

 put on somewhat the appearance of a lake, during 



FIRST 

 JOURNEY. 



