198 EDGE OF THE JUNGLE 
selves, are part and parcel of the romance, since 
they are not alone a quaint and poetic people, 
but the direct descendants of those remote Amer- 
icans who were the first to see the caravels of 
Columbus. Indeed, he paid the initial tribute 
to their skill, for in the diary of his first voyage 
he writes,— 
“A great many Indians in canoes came to 
the ship to-day for the purpose of bartering their 
cotton, and hamacas or nets in which they sleep.” 
It is supposed that this name owes its being 
to the hamack tree, from the bark of which 
they were woven. However that may be, the 
modern hammock of these tropical Red Men is 
so light and so delicate in texture that during 
the day one may wear it as a sash, while at night 
it forms an incomparable couch. 
But one does not drop off to sleep in this be- 
fore a just and proper preparation. This pre- 
sents complexities. First, the hammock must 
be slung with just the right amount of tautness; 
then, the novice must master the knack of wind- 
ing himself in his blanket that he may slide gently 
into his aerial bed and rest at right angles to the 
tied ends, thus permitting the free side-meshes 
to curl up naturally over his feet and head. This 
