The River of Doubt 281 



gate to less than seventy yards of fall ; a very few yards 

 of fall makes a dangerous rapid when the river is swollen 

 and swift and there are obstructions. We had only one 

 aneroid to determine our altitude, and therefore could 

 make merely a loose approximation to it, but we prob- 

 ably had between two and three times this descent in the 

 aggregate of rapids ahead of us. So far the country had 

 offered little In the way of food except palm-tops. We 

 had lost four canoes and one man. We were in the 

 country of wild Indians, who shot well with their bows. 

 It behooved us to go warily, but also to make all speed 

 possible, if we were to avoid serious trouble. 



The best plan seemed to be to march thirteen men 

 down along the bank, while the remaining canoes, lashed 

 two and two, floated down beside them. If after two 

 or three days we found no bad rapids, and there seemed 

 a reasonable chance of going some distance at decent 

 speed, we could then build the new canoes — ^preferably 

 two small ones, this time, instead of one big one. We 

 left all the baggage we could. We were already down 

 as far as comfort would permit ; but we now struck off 

 much of the comfort. Cherrie, Kermit, and I had been 

 sleeping under a very light fly; and there was another 

 small light tent for one person, kept for possible emer- 

 gencies. The last was given to me for my cot, and all 

 five of the others swung their hammocks under the big 

 fly. This meant that we left two big and heavy tents 

 behind. A box of surveying instruments was also aban- 

 doned. Each of us got his personal belongings down to 

 one box or duffel-bag — although there was only a small 

 diminution thus made; because we had so little that the 



