328 TIMEHRI. 
the savannah, as the trees were too fresh and green. 
Thick black columns of smoke rolled away from those m “ 
places over which it had passed and hung over them for — 4 
a long while like great clouds, out of which from timeto __ 
time single birds of prey shot down with wild cries to 3 
the still hot ground to pick up those animals which had 
been burnt to death. 
The deep forest gorge wherein we had taken refuge 
was chosen as a camping place for the night because 
of its brook and the agreeableness of its situation. 
Here several banaboos were quickly ereéted andasit 
was only three o’clock in the afternoon I took an ex- 
cursion up the gorge. Meanwhile the Indians also dis- a 
persed, partly to hunt and partly to colleé&t for me such © . 
natural objeéts as appeared to them rare. The brook  — 
came down in numerous cascades and its rocky banks 
were thickly covered with the most elegant ferns, espe- , 
cially the beautiful Hymenostachys elegans, H, diversi- 
frons, Trichomanes pilosum, T. brachypus, T. Ankersii, 
and many others of similar kinds, while tall tree ferns 
stretched out their feathery leaves softly vibrating among 
the trees lader with orchids and tillandsias, above which 
was a perforated roof of tender green vaulting the crystal 
cool water of the brook. For a long while I made my 
way upward, following the course of the torrent, climbing 
over the rocks which filled its bed, The higher! got the 
thinner grew the forest until it became a thicket of 
matted bamboo and ended at last in the low vegetation 
of the savannah. Over this, blackened by the fire, I 
retraced my steps and found on my arrival at camp 
that the Indians had all got there already. ; 
Those Arekunas who had been left behind to fire the 
