Chap. XXII. DETENTION BY FEVER. 207 



one of the chief articles conveyed into the country, became 

 considerably lighter as we went along, but the carriers 

 shielded themselves by saying that it had been melted by the 

 rain. Their burdens were taken from them every evening 

 and placed in security under the guardianship of Senhor 

 Pascoal's own slaves. 



Finding the progress of Senhor Pascoal and the other Tom- 

 beiros excessively slow, I resolved to forego his company 

 after I had delivered to him some letters to be sent back to 

 Cassange. We ascended the eastern acclivity that bounds the 

 Oassange valley, and we found that, thougli apparently lower 

 chan that at Tala Mungongo, in consequence of the ascent 

 being more gradual, it is actually much higher. From the 

 summit of the ridge we began to descend towards the central 

 country, hoping soon to get out of the Chibcque territory, 

 which we had entered when we left the Cassange valley. On 

 the 19th of April, however, I was laid up with an extremely 

 severe attack of rheumatic fever, brought on by being obliged 

 to sleep on a plain covered with water. The rain poured 

 down incessantly, but we formed our beds by heaping up the 

 earth into oblong mounds, somewhat like graves in a country 

 churchyard, and then placing grass upon them. We were 

 weather-bound for two days, but as soon as it became fair we 

 attempted to continue our march. My illness, however, 

 aggravated by the cold damp of the heavy dews, would not 

 allow me to proceed, and I was forced to lie by for eight days, 

 tossing and groaning with a violent headache, which made me 

 quite unfit to move, or even to inquire what was passing 

 outside my little tent. Senhor Pascoal, who had been de- 

 tained by the severe rain at a better spot, at last came up. and 

 applied some dozens of leeches to the nape of the neck and 

 the loins, b}' which I was partially relieved. After about 

 twenty da}*s I began to recover, and wished to move on, but 

 my men objected to the attempt on account of my weakness. 



It happened that the head-man of the village where 1 had 

 lain had been struck on the mouth by one of my men while 

 bargaining in my camp for a piece of meat. My principal 

 men paid five pieces of cloth and a gun as an atonement ; but 

 the more they yielded the more exorbitant he became, and he 



