272 THROUGH THE BRAZILIAN WILDERNESS 



fortune for another camp where misfortune also awaited us. 

 Less than half an hour took our dugouts to the head of the 

 rapids below. As Kermit had already explored the left- 

 hand side, Colonel Rondon and Lyra went down the right- 

 hand side and found a channel which led round the worst 

 part, so that they deemed it possible to let down the 

 canoes by ropes from the bank. The distance to the foot 

 of the rapids was about a kilometre. While the loads were 

 being brought down the left bank, Luiz and Antonio Cor- 

 rea, our two best watermen, started to take a canoe down 

 the right side, and Colonel Rondon walked ahead to see 

 anything he could about the river. He was accompanied 

 by one of our three dogs, Lobo. After walking about a 

 kilometre he heard ahead a kind of howling noise, which he 

 thought was made by spider-monkeys. He walked in the 

 direction of the sound and Lobo ran ahead. In a minute 

 he heard Lobo yell with pain, and then, still yelping, come 

 toward him, while the creature that was howling also ap- 

 proached, evidently in pursuit. In a moment a second yell 

 from Lobo, followed by silence, announced that he was dead; 

 and the sound of the howling, when near, convinced Rondon 

 that the dog had been killed by an Indian, doubtless with 

 two arrows. Probably the Indian was howling to lure the 

 spider-monkeys toward him. Rondon fired his rifle in the 

 air, to warn off the Indian or Indians, who in all probability 

 had never seen a civilized man, and certainly could not im- 

 agine that one was in the neighborhood. He then returned 

 to the foot of the rapids, where the portage was still going 

 on, and, in company with Lyra, Kermit, and Antonio Parc- 

 els, the Indian, walked back to where Lobo's body lay. 

 Sure enough he found him, slain by two arrows. One ar- 



