SOUTH AMERICA. 235 



JOURNEY. 



own curial, and, on entering the river, pointed to T IR 



O A I , , ( i. v i v 



a place a little way above, well calculated to 

 harbour a cayman. The water was deep and 

 still, and flanked by an immense sand-bank ; there 

 was also a little shallow creek close by. 



On this sand-bank, near the forest, the people 

 made a shelter for the night. My own was 

 already made; for I always take with me a 

 painted sheet, about twelve feet by ten. This, 

 thrown over a pole, supported betwixt two trees, 

 makes you a capital roof with very little trouble. 



We showed one of the Indians the shark-hook. 

 He shook his head and laughed at it, and said it 

 would not do. When he was a boy, he had seen 

 his father catch the caymen, and on the morrow 

 he would make something that would answer. 



In the mean time, we set the shark-hook, but it 

 availed us naught; a cayman came and took it, 

 but would not swallow it. 



Seeing it was useless to attend the shark-hook 

 any longer, we left it for the night, and returned 

 to our hammocks. 



Ere I fell asleep, a reflection or two broke in 

 upon me. I considered, that as far as the judg- 

 ment of civilized man went, every thing had been 

 procured and done to ensure success. We had 

 hooks, and lines, and baits, and patience ; we had 

 spent nights in watching, had seen the cayman 

 come and take the bait, and after our expectations 

 had been wound up to the highest pitch, all ended 



