436 



The night was calm and serene, and there was 

 a beautiful moonlight. The crocodiles were 

 stretched along the shore. They placed them- 

 selves in such a manner as to be able to see the 

 fire. We thought we observed, that it's splen- 

 dour attracted them, as it attracts fishes, crayfish, 

 and other inhabitants of the water. The In- 

 dians showed us the traces of three tigers in the 

 sand, two of which were very young. A female 

 had no doubt conducted her little ones to drink 

 at the river. Finding no tree on the strand, 

 we stuck our oars in the ground, and to these 

 we fastened our hammocks. Every thing passed 

 tranquilly till eleven at night; and then a noise 

 so terrific arose in the neighbouring forest, that 

 it was almost impossible to close our eyes. 

 Amid the cries of so many wild beasts howling 

 at once, the Indians discriminated such only as 

 were heard separately. These were the little soft 

 cries of the sapajous, the moans of the alouates, 

 the howlings of the tiger, the couguar, or 

 American lion without mane, the pecari, and the 

 sloth, and the voices of thecurassoa,theparraka, 

 and some other gallinaceous birds. When the 

 jaguars approached the skirt of the forest, our 

 dog, which till then had never ceased barking, 

 began to howl and seek for shelter beneath our 

 hammocks. Sometimes, after a long silence, the 

 cry of the tiger came from the tops of the trees ; 

 and in this case it was followed by the sharp and 



