i8so.] A FISHING PARTY. 131 



shore we nearly filled a basket with numerous small fishes,' 

 and a few of larger size. There were quantities of little ones 

 armed with spines, which inflict a serious wound if trodden on^.' 

 so we had to be cautious with our bare feet. I was much 

 interested in the great variety and the curious forms that every ^ 

 basketful contained. There were numbers of a little fish, 

 peculiar to the Amazon, which inflates the fore part of the 

 body into a complete ball, and when stamped upon explodes 

 with a noise similar to that produced by the bursting of an 

 inflated paper bag. 



After two or three hours, we felt rather tired, so we made a 

 fire, and cooked some of our fish for a meal, — which we might 

 call supper or breakfast, as we pleased, for dawn was now 

 appearing. We then again went on fishing, while others got 

 their guns, and endeavoured to shoot some of the wild ducks. 

 One gentleman, with a rifle, made an extraordinary shot, 

 bringing down a single duck flying, at a long distance, with a 

 bullet. Now it was daylight, I endeavoured to sketch some 

 of the curious fish, but they were so numerous, and the sun 

 was so hot, that I could do but little ; and as they became 

 putrid in a few hours, I could not keep them for the purpose 

 till we returned home. About ten in the morning we left off 

 fishing, and began cooking. We had roasted, broiled, and 

 stewed fish, and with oil and vinegar, and plenty of pepper and 

 salt, made a very excellent breakfast. We also had wine, 

 bread, and farinha, and coffee for those who preferred it. 

 While we were at breakfast, our Indians lay down on the sand, 

 in the sun, to take a nap, as they had been hard at work for 

 two days without sleep. In about an hour they were roused 

 to breakfast, and then at noon we started on our way home. 



At five in the afternoon we reached a place at the mouth of 

 the Rio Negro, where there are some flat rocks, and generally 

 abundance of fish. Here most of the party began fishing 

 again with rod and Hne, and were pretty successful ; and a 

 fisherman coming in with a fine pirarucu, weighing thirty or 

 forty pounds, Senhor Henrique bought it of him, in order to 

 have something worth showing from our excursion. 



We then proceeded homewards, many of us dozing ; and 

 our Indians rowing hard, but hardly able to keep their eyes 

 open. Now and then, one would regularly drop off to sleep^ 

 but keep on paddling mechanically, without pulling very hard. 



