234 OUR SEARCH FOR A WILDERNESS. 



Cocoi Heron ^' and an American Egret ^^ flew away with pro- 

 testing croaks, and we began to pitch and toss as we turned 

 south, beyond the outermost sprawling mangrove roots. 



We liad been warned on no account to malie this part of 

 the trip with other than full-blooded Indian paddlers, and 

 when we saw the need for steady, skilful work, we were in- 

 deed glad that we had Alarciano and his good crew. The 

 waves were too muddy to break, but they rolled high over 

 the low rail of our canoe and we were soon soaked through 

 and had to bail steadily to keep the frail craft from filling. 

 In the midst of ail the excitement three splendid Flamingos ^^ 

 flew overhead, one close behind the other, necks and legs 

 extended to the full. We watched them until our eyes ached, 

 and then a dash of several r(uarts of salt, muddy water in our 

 faces, brought us suddenly back to grim reality. After we 

 had paddled three or four miles, we entered the broad mouth 

 of the Pomeroon, turned close in along shore and finding a 

 sheltered bight, waited for the turning of the tide and to 

 give our Indians a much-needed rest. The heavily laden 

 canoe had given them a hard paddle against wind and tide, 

 and we were to travel onward throughout all the night. 



As dusk settled down a Frigate-ljird ^^ swooped past, fol- 

 lowed by a large flock of several hundred Boat-billed Herons ^' 

 croaking like their relatives the Night Herons, and on their 

 way doubtless from some roosting place to their nocturnal 

 feeding grounds; for as they reached the water they scat- 

 tered, some going up the river, others along the shore. 



From the cast, straight across the whole width of the 

 Pomeroon came another great flocking, a host of Mealy 

 Amazon Parrots "' flying as usual two and two close to- 

 gether — by hundreds and by thousands. They turned 

 south along our bank and flew inland, and were joined, 

 almost over the spot where our canoe was moored, by 

 another great multitude of their kind, coming steadily down 



