RED-BEARDED MONKEY. 235 



of the forest, that it is possible to conceive. 

 In passing through the forest we had an op- 

 portunity of observing several over our heads; 

 they seemed to take no notice of us, and I 

 made the same remark as I had done before, 

 that they were all seated on separate trees, 

 and at a distance fi'om one another : perhaps 

 Baron Von Humboldt saw them in another 

 time of the year. 



They seemed savage, unsocial, and sulky 

 animals, very different from the lively monkeys 

 that are so often seen in troops playing in 

 the tree-tops. I was half inclined to send a 

 ball through an old savage-looking one for 

 the sake of his curious skin, but, reflecting 

 that a canoe would be a bad place for drying 

 a skin in a hot sun, passed on and arrived 

 at the opposite side of the creek, from where 

 my piragua was waiting. Here I took leave 

 of some of my horses that had carried me 

 many a weary journey, and made presents of 

 them to those I knew would take care of 

 them. 



We had to cross over in a sort of ferry 

 canoe, and on our arrival found six Indians, 

 with their horses, were waiting for our de- 

 parture. The six horses were driven into 

 the water, and their heads made fast to the 



