The River of Doubt 279 



misfortune for another camp where misfortune also 

 awaited us. Less than half an hour took our dugouts 

 to the head of the rapids below. As Kermit had already 

 explored the left-hand side. Colonel Rondon and Lyra 

 went down the right-hand side and found a channel 

 which led round the worst part, so that they deemed it 

 possible to let down the canoes by ropes from the bank. 

 The distance to the foot of the rapids was about a kilo- 

 metre. While the loads were being brought down the 

 left bank, Luiz and Antonio Correa, our two best water- 

 men, started to take a canoe down the right side, and 

 Colonel Rondon walked ahead to see anything he could 

 about the river. He was accompanied by one of our 

 three dogs, Lobo. After walking about a kilometre he 

 heard ahead a kind of howling noise, which he thought 

 was made by spider-monkeys. He walked in the direc- 

 tion of the sound and Lobo ran ahead. In a minute he 

 heard Lobo yell with pain, and then, still yelping, come 

 toward him, while the creature that was howling also 

 approached, evidently in pursuit. In a moment a second 

 yell from Lobo, followed by silence, announced that he 

 was dead ; and the sound of the howling when near con- 

 vinced Rondon that the dog had been killed by an Indian, 

 doubtless with two arrows. Probably the Indian was 

 howling to lure the spider-monkeys toward him. Ron- 

 don fired his rifle in the air, to warn off the Indian or 

 Indians, who in all probability had never seen a civilized 

 man, and certainly could not imagine that one was in 

 the neighborhood. He then returned to the foot of the 

 rapids, where the portage was still going on, and, in com- 

 pany with Lyra, Kermit, and Antonio Parecis, the Indian, 



