XVII TARAPOTO TO CANELOS 121 
capitally, and at 4 p.m. reached the port of Puca- 
yacu. Here we found that the village was nearly 
a mile from the river and elevated 250 feet above 
it, the ascent being very steep and slippery.^ We 
climbed up to pay our respects to the Governor, and 
then returned to sleep in the port, I and Don 
Ignacio in our canoes, and the rest on a narrow 
beach scarcely elevated 2 feet above the water. 
The beach was margined by a bank of earth 6 feet 
high, densely clad with overhanging trees and 
bamboos, and then after a narrow strip of nearly 
level ground rose a gentle acclivity. As we 
supped at sundown, thunder was heard at no great 
distance, and the heavens gradually became entirely 
obscured by a dense mantle of clouds. The Indians, 
who had gone up to the pueblo to take chica, now 
rejoined us and also prepared to pass the night 
on the beach. We had scarcely resigned ourselves 
to sleep, at about 9 o'clock, when the storm burst 
over us, and the river almost simultaneously began 
to rise ; speedily the beach was overflowed, the 
Indians leaped into the canoes ; the waters con- 
tinued to rise with great rapidity, coming in on us 
every few minutes in a roaring surge which broke 
under the canoes in whirlpools, and dashed them 
against each other. The lianas by which the 
canoes were tied had to be moved every now and 
then higher up the trees, and finally broke. The 
Indians held on by the branches, and fortunately 
found two contiguous lianas of Bignonia, which 
having cut below, they fastened to the prow of each 
canoe, their upper part being securely entwined 
^ [By barometrical observation, Spruce found the altitude of Puca-yacu 
village to be 425 metres = 1394 feet. — Ed.] 
