98 Travels and Adventures 



dozen in a nest of one turtle. It often happens, 

 however, that two or three deposit their eggs so 

 close together that they are easily mistaken for one 

 nest. . 



About mid-day we arrived at a small village called 

 Papayal, a canoe station of little importance. Here 

 I bought some provisions, and stayed about an hour. 

 When I was ready to start again I found it almost 

 impossible to persuade the natives to proceed with 

 the canoe. After very much trouble I got them 

 on board, and we continued lazily up the river. . That 

 night we camped on a sand-bank ; the opposite side 

 of the river beinor the edcre of a thick forest. The 

 boatmen lighted a fire and partook of supper, and 

 then, probably fatigued with the toil of the day 

 and the unbearable heat, they were soon stretched on 

 the sand sleeping heavily. I was unable to sleep on 

 account of the mosquitoes, so I sat down to contem- 

 plate the grandeur of the situation. The full moon 

 lighted up the dense forest with a kind of weird, 

 unnatural beauty, and a stillness reigned around that 

 would make one believe we had camped on the terri- 

 tory of the dead. Towards midnight what appeared 

 before so deserted became suddenly animated ; large 

 flights of white cranes arrived, and poised themselves 

 on the branches nearest the river, while as many more 

 of the tall grey ones took up quarters on the 



