Chap. XIX. THIEVES. 379 



the morning some light-fingered gentry came, while we slept 

 ingloriously — rifles and revolvers all ready, — and relieved us 

 of most of our goods. The boat's sail, under which we slept, 

 was open all around, so the feat was easy. One of us felt 

 his pillow moving, but in the delicious dreamy state in which 

 he lay, thought it was one of the attendants adjusting his 

 covering, and so, as he fancied, let well alone. 



Awaking as honest men do, at the usual hour, the loss of 

 one was announced by "My bag is gone — with all my 

 clothes ; and my boots too ! " " And mine ! " responded a 

 second. " And mine also ! " chimed in the third, " with the 

 bag of beads, and the rice ! " " Is the cloth taken ? " was 

 the eager inquiry, as that would have been equivalent to all 

 our money. It had been used for a pillow that night, and 

 thus saved. The rogues left on the beach, close to our beds, 

 the Aneroid Barometer and a pair of boots, thinking, pos- 

 sibly, that they might be of use to us, or, at least, that they 

 could be of none to them. They shoved back some dried 

 plants and fishes into one bag, but carried off many other 

 specimens we had collected ; some of our notes also, and 

 nearly all our clothing; one of our party, indeed, rose with 

 nothing belonging to him but what he happened to have 

 on at the time; another was indebted to female curiosity 

 for the safety of his best suit; for, having on the day pre- 

 vious, Sunday, retired from the crowd to have a bath and 

 change among the reeds, he looked about before being 

 quite undressed, and found a crowd of ladies peering at 

 the apparition. He retired without either bath or change 

 of apparel. One feels ashamed of the white skin ; it seems 

 unnatural, like blanched celery — or white mice. On re- 

 turning to the camp, which was surrounded with perpetual 

 clatter and crowds of visitors all day, he changed his cloth- 

 ing after dark, putting on and sleeping in his best, as it 



