219 



how ever we had manaj^ed to get up such a place; and every 

 now and then (earing oin- hands to pieces against the thorny 

 trunks of the tree ferns. 



Night overtook us while still walking, and at 7 ]). m. we 

 arrived at our camping place of the night before, near the pool 

 of dirty water, after a day's work of 14 hours — from which 

 deducting 2 for breakfast and time spent on the peak, would 

 leave 12 hours of continuous climbing and descending. On 

 arrival in camp I threw myself down, hardly able to breathe, 

 I was not in the least tired, but the sudden transit from the 

 high elevation to the lower seemed to have taken away my 

 breath. However after some soup and coffee, I felt better, and 

 managed to smoke a pipe before going to bed. 



About midnight I had the pleasure to be awakened by feeling 

 the rain pattering down upon me — I looked at the guide to see 

 what he would do, and immediately followed his example — viz. 

 took my two pieces of Yagua from under me and put them over 

 me, holding up the piece over my head with my hunting knife, 

 and pressing the end of it against a tree at my head — but it 

 seems I pressed a little too hard, for my knife slipped out and 

 caught me in the face, entering my cheek from the eye to below 

 the mouth. I instantly tied my handkerchief around the place 

 and stopped the blood, and in half an hour as soon as the rain 

 had passed, I was sound asleep again; and never woke till day- 

 break next morning. 



Friday 6th, when we took coffee and continued our descent 

 to Las Cuevas, where we arrived at 9:15 a. m. none the worse 

 from our trip, except as regards our clothes, hands and eyes, 

 which were very much torn by the thorns. After breakfast I 

 bathed and then caught butterflies, the rest went to sleep. We 

 passed another first rate night in the old shed and at sunrise 

 Saturday 7th. had the pleasure to see the tops of the masts of 

 our vessel just above the horizon — at i o'clock the Patron was 

 on shore, and we embarked at 2, but having no wind, we anchored 

 the vessel and came on shore to dine, after which we took leave of 

 Roig & Co. and went on board to sleep. During the night we had 

 just enough wind to take us out about 6 miles, but afterw^ards a 



