Down an Unknown River 317 



lifted the poor body which but half an hour before had 

 been so full of vigorous life. Colonel Rondon and I bore 

 the head and shoulders. We laid him in the grave, and 

 heaped a mound over him, and put a rude cross at his 

 head. We fired a volley for a brave and loyal soldier 

 who had died doing his duty. Then we left him forever, 

 under the great trees beside the lonely river. 



That day we got only half-way down the rapids. 

 There was no good place to camp. But at the foot of one 

 steep cliff there was a narrow, bowlder-covered slope 

 where it was possible to sling hammocks and cook ; and a 

 slanting spot was found for my cot, which had sagged 

 until by this time it looked like a broken-backed centiped. 

 It rained a little during the night, but not enough to wet 

 us much. Next day Lyra, Kermit, and Cherrie finished 

 their job, and brought the four remaining canoes to camp, 

 one leaking badly from the battering on the rocks. We 

 then went down-stream a few hundred yards, and camped 

 on the opposite side ; it was not a good camping-place, but 

 it was better than the one we left. 



The men were growing constantly weaker under the 

 endless strain of exhausting labor. Kermit was having 

 an attack of fever, and Lyra and Cherrie had touches of 

 dysentery, but all three continued to work. While in the 

 water trying to help with an upset canoe I had by my own 

 clumsiness bruised my leg against a bowlder ; and the re- 

 sulting inflammation was somewhat bothersome. I now 

 had a sharp attack of fever, but thanks to the excellent 

 care of the doctor, was over it in about forty-eight hours; 

 but Kermit's fever grew worse and he too was unable to 

 work for a day or two. We could walk over the port- 



