

CROSS THE RIVER ACU, 



217 



place had followed us, judging that this would 

 be the case, and they were willing to be of 

 service to us in expectation of being compen- 

 sated for their trouble. A few logs of timber 

 were soon procured ; some of them had been 

 brought down by the stream, and were now 

 upon the banks, and others were conveyed from 

 the town ; the cords with which the packages 

 were fastened to the pack-saddles were made 

 use of to tie the logs together, for the purpose 

 of forming the raft. The father of the young 

 man who had been with me to Aracati accom- 

 panied us to the river side to assist, and had 

 brought Mimoza with him. I requested him 

 to secure her, otherwise I thought she would 

 follow me ; he did so, and sent her back to the 

 town by a boy. When the raft was prepared, 

 the saddles and all the packages were placed 

 upon it, and I sat down among them. Four 

 men laid hold of each side of the raft, and shoved 

 off from the shore, and when they lost their 

 footing, each man kept hold of the raft with 

 one hand, swimming with the other ; but not- 

 withstanding their exertions, the stream carried 

 us down about fifty yards before we reached 

 the other side, which however was gained in 

 safety. The Indians were already there with 

 the horses. The river of A$u is from two to 

 three hundred yards in breadth ; it was now 

 deep and dangerous, and from the violence of 



