274 THROUGH THE BRAZILIAN WILDERNESS 



tions. We had only one aneroid to determine our al- 

 titude, and therefore could make merely a loose approxima- 

 tion to it, but we probably had between two and three 

 times this descent in the aggregate of rapids ahead of us. 

 So far the country had offered little in the way of food ex- 

 cept palm-tops. We had lost four canoes and one man. 

 We were in the country of wild Indians, who shot well with 

 their bows. It behooved us to go warily, but also to make 

 all speed possible, if we were to avoid serious trouble. 



The best plan seemed to be to march thirteen men down 

 along the bank, while the remaining canoes, lashed two and 

 two, floated down beside them. If after two or three days 

 we found no bad rapids, and there seemed a reasonable 

 chance of going some distance at decent speed, we could 

 then build the new canoes — preferably two small ones, this 

 time, instead of one big one. We left all the baggage we 

 could. We were already down as far as comfort would 

 permit; but we now struck off much of the comfort. Cher- 

 rie, Kermit, and I had been sleeping under a very light fly; 

 and there was another small light tent for one person, kept 

 for possible emergencies. The last was given to me for 

 my cot, and all five of the others swung their hammocks 

 under the big fly. This meant that we left two big and 

 heavy tents behind. A box of surveying instruments was 

 also abandoned. Each of us got his personal belongings 

 down to one box or duffel-bag — although there was only a 

 small diminution thus made; because we had so little that 

 the only way to make a serious diminution was to restrict 

 ourselves to the clothes on our backs. 



The biting flies and ants were to us a source of dis- 

 comfort and at times of what could fairly be called torment. 



