92 Travels and Adventures 



hours we had taken as many as four men could carry. 

 The fish were of three kinds, one about twelve inches 

 long, covered with silvery scales, having a very small 

 mouth. This is called by the natives Boca chica, or 

 little mouth ; it is the fish that most abounds in all 

 parts of Colombia, and is excellent eating, probably a 

 kind of perch. The next is La Dorado,, or the gilded 

 fish, from eighteen to twenty inches in length and ^y\q. 

 inches in girth ; the flesh of this is inferior to that 

 of the Boca chica, but the appearance is most wonder- 

 ful ; the scales, especially around the head, are of a 

 glistening yellow, making one believe it is wearing a 

 suit of gold-gilt armour. The other, a short, ugly fish, 

 with formidable rows of teeth like a miniature shark, 

 is called by the natives Moncholo ; this fish proved the 

 best food. By the time we had gathered our booty 

 together, the sun, low in the heavens, warned us 

 that it would soon be dark, and we hurried back to 

 the canoe as quickly as possible. The natives gather- 

 ing wood and making a fire, we all partook of boiled 

 fish, bananas, and a little coffee. After this, everyone 

 stretched himself on the sand-bank and prepared to 

 wait until morning, amid crowds of hungry mosquitoes. 

 Although the natives dispense with everything, having 

 only the sky for a roof, yet to a European the heavy 

 dews are very injurious, and it is always a good 

 precaution to erect a kind of awning of palm-leaves 



