170 



TRAVELS ON THE RIO NEGRO. [February 



one man and eight or ten women and girls. We accordingly 

 made up loads for each of them. There was a basket of salt 

 about a hundred pounds weight, four baskets of farinha, 

 besides boxes, baskets, a jar of oil, a demijohn of molasses, a 

 portable cupboard, and numerous other articles. The greater 

 part of these were taken, in loads proportioned to the strength 

 of the bearers, and two of my Indians accompanied them, 

 and were to return in the evening, and then go with me the 

 next day. Night came, however, and they did not appear ; 

 but near midnight they came in, telling me that they could 

 not keep up with the Javita Indians, and night coming on 

 while they were in the middle of the road, they had hid their 

 burdens in the forest and returned. So the next morning they 

 had to go off again to finish their journey, and I was obliged 

 to wait till they came back, and was delayed another day before 

 I could get all my things taken. 



I occupied myself in the forest catching a few insects, which, 

 however, were not very numerous. The following morning we 

 had nothing for breakfast, so I sent the Indians off early to 

 fish, with positive instructions to return by ten o'clock, in order 

 that we might get to Javita before night. They chose, how- 

 ever, to stay till past noon, and then came with two or three 

 small fish, which did not give us a mouthful apiece. It was 

 thus two o'clock before we started. I was pretty well loaded 

 with gun, ammunition, insect-boxes, etc., but soon got on 

 ahead, with one Indian boy, who could not understand a 

 single word of Portuguese. About halfway I saw a fine mutun, 

 a little way off the road, and went after it ; but I had only 

 small shot in my gun, and wounded it, but did not bring it 

 down. I still followed, and fired several times but without 

 effect, and as it had suddenly got dark I was obliged to leave 

 it. We had still some miles to go. The sun had set, so we 

 pushed on quickly, my attendant keeping close at my heels. 

 In the marshes and over the little streams we had now some 

 difficulty in finding our way along the narrow trunks laid for 

 bridges. I was barefoot, and every minute stepped on some 

 projecting root or stone, or trod sideways upon something 

 which almost dislocated my ankle. It was now pitch-dark: 

 dull clouds could just be distinguished through the openings 

 in the high arch of overhanging trees, but the road we were 

 walking on was totally invisible. Jaguars I knew abounded 



