THE RIVER OF DOUBT 259 



The first day we shifted camp a kilometre and a half 

 to the foot of this series of rapids. This was a charming 

 and picturesque camp. It was at the edge of the river, 

 where there was a little, shallow bay with a beach of firm 

 sand. In the water, at the middle point of the beach, 

 stood a group of three burity palms, their great trunks 

 rising like columns. Round the clearing in which our tents 

 stood were several very big trees; two of them were rubber- 

 trees. Kermit went down-stream five or six kilometres, and 

 returned, having shot a jacu and found that at the point 

 which he had reached there was another rapids, almost a 

 fall, which would necessitate our again dragging the canoes 

 over a portage. Antonio, the Parcels, shot a big monkey; 

 of this I was glad because portaging is hard work, and the 

 men appreciated the meat. So far Cherrie had collected 

 sixty birds on the Duvida, all of them new to the collec- 

 tion, and some probably new to science. We saw the 

 fresh sign of paca, agouti, and the small peccary, and Ker- 

 mit with the dogs roused a tapir, which crossed the river 

 right through the rapids; but no one got a shot at it. 



Except at one or perhaps two points a very big dugout, 

 lightly loaded, could probably run all these rapids. But 

 even in such a canoe it would be silly to make the attempt 

 on an exploring expedition, where the loss of a canoe or of its 

 contents means disaster; and moreover such a canoe could 

 not be taken, for it would be impossible to drag it over the 

 portages on the occasions when the portages became in- 

 evitable. Our canoes would not have lived half a minute 

 in the wild water. 



On the second day the canoes and loads were brought 

 down to the foot of the first rapids. Lyra cleared the 



