PRAIA OF SHIMUNI 



401 



Re-embarking, we paddled across to Shimuni, reach- 

 ing the commencement of the praia an hour before sunset. 

 The island-proper is abo\:^t three miles long and half a 

 mile broad : the forest with which it is covered rises to an 

 immense and uniform height, and presents all round a 

 compact, impervious front. Here and there a singular 

 tree, called Pao mulatto (mulatto wood), with polished 

 dark-green trunk, rose conspicuously amongst the mass 

 of vegetation. The sand-bank, which lies at the upper 

 end of the island extends several miles, and presents an 

 irregular, and in some parts, strongly waved surface, with 

 deep hollows and ridges. When upon it, one feels as 

 though treading an almost boundless field of sand : for 

 towards the south-east, where no forest-line terminates 

 the view, the white, rolling plain stretches away to the 

 horizon. The north-easterly channel of the river lying 

 between the sands and the further shore of the river is at 

 least two miles in breadth ; the middle one, between the 

 two islands, Shimuni and Baria, is not much less than a mile. 



We found the two sentinels lodged in a corner of the 

 praia, where it commences at the foot of the towering 

 forest-wall of the island ; having built for themselves a 

 little rancho with poles and palm-leaves. Great pre- 

 cautions are obliged to be taken to avoid disturbing the 

 sensitive turtles, who, previous to crawling ashore to lay, 

 assemble in great shoals off the sand-bank. The men 

 during this time, take care not to show themselves and 

 warn off any fisherman who wishes to pass near the place. 

 Their fires are made in a deep hollow near the borders of 

 the forest, so that the smoke may not be visible. The 

 passage of a boat through the shallow waters where the 

 animals are congregated, or the sight of a man or a fire on 

 the sand-bank, would prevent the turtles from leaving 

 the water that night to lay their eggs, and if the causes 

 of alarm were repeated once or twice, they would forsake 

 the praia for some other quieter place. Soon after we 

 arrived, our men were sent with the net to catch a supply 

 of fish for supper. In half an hour, four or five large 

 basketsful of Acari were brought in. The sun set soon 

 after our meal was cooked ; we were then obliged to ex- 

 tinguish the fire and remove our supper materials to the 

 sleeping ground, a spit of sand about a mile off ; this course 

 being necessary on account of the mosquitoes which 

 swarm at night on the borders of the forest. 



2 c 



