292 DOWN AN UNKNOWN RIVER [chap, ix 



him in the mouth. Julio came crying to us, his face 

 working with fear and malignant hatred ; but after 

 investigation he was told that he had got off uncom- 

 monly lightly. The men had three or four carbines, 

 which were sometimes carried by those who were not 

 their owners. 



On this morning, at the outset of the portage, Pe- 

 drinho discovered Julio steaUng some of the men's dried 

 meat. Shortly afterward Paishon rebuked him for, as 

 usual, lagging behind. By this time we had reached 

 the place where the canoes were tied to the bank and 

 then taken down one at a time. We were sitting down, 

 waiting for the last loads to be brought along the trail. 

 Pedrinho was still in the camp we had left. Paishon 

 had just brought in a load, left it on the ground with 

 his carbine beside it, and returned on the trail for another 

 load. Julio came in, put down his load, picked up the 

 carbine, and walked back on the trail, muttering to 

 himself but showing no excitement. We thought 

 nothing of it, for he was always muttering ; and occa- 

 sionally one of the men saw a monkey or big bird and 

 tried to shoot it, so it was never surprising to see a man 

 with a carbine. 



In a minute we heard a shot ; and in a short time 

 three or four of the men came up the trail to teU us 

 that Paishon was dead, having been shot by Julio, who 

 had fled into the woods. Colonel Rondon and Lyra 

 were ahead ; I sent a messenger for them, directed 

 Cherrie and Kermit to stay where they were and guard 

 the canoes and provisions, and started down the trail 

 with the doctor — an absolutely cool and plucky man, 

 with a revolver but no rifle — and a couple of the cama- 

 radas. We soon passed the dead body of poor Paishon. 

 He lay in a huddle, in a pool of his own blood, where 



