438 



mals. They awaken the birds that live in so- 

 ciety., and by degrees the whole assembly is in 

 movement. We shall soon find, that it is not 

 always in a fine moonlight, bnt more particularly 

 at the time of a storm and violent showers, that 

 this tumult takes place among the wild beasts. 

 ct May Heaven grant them a quiet night and 

 repose, and us also !" said the monk who accom- 

 panied us to the Rio Negro, when, sinking with 

 fatigue, he assisted in arranging our accommo- 

 dations for the night. It was indeed a strange 

 situation, to find no silence in the solitude of 

 woods. In the inns of Spain we dread the sharp 

 sounds of guitars from the next apartment; 

 in those of the Oroonoko, which are an open 

 beach, or the shelter of a solitary tree, we are 

 afraid of being disturbed in our sleep by voices 

 issuing from the forest. 



April the 2d. We set sail before sunrise. 

 The morning was beautiful and cool, according 

 to the feelings of those, who are accustomed to 

 the heats of these climates. The thermometer 

 rose to 28° only in the air; but the dry and 

 white sand of the beach, notwithstanding it's 

 radiation toward a sky without a cloud, retained 

 a temperature of 36°. The porpoises (toninas) 

 ploughed the river in long files. The shore was 

 covered with fishing birds. Some of these em- 

 barked oil the floating wood, that passed down 

 the river, and surprised the fish that preferred 



