XXV NARCOTICS AND STIMULANTS 439 
with flowering bushes, so that I reasonably hoped 
to make a fine collection there. But the first night 
of our downward voyage (Jan. 7) the rains came 
on, out of their time, and continued daily for many 
days, until the river had risen to its winter level, 
and the forest-margin was mostly flooded. There 
are only two small pueblos on the Casiquiari above 
the outlet of Lake V asiva, and at the lower of these 
I halted nine days, hoping the floods might subside. 
This pueblo was of only recent formation, and was 
peopled by Pacimonari Indians, who had named it 
Yamadu-bani, that is. Wild Man's Land, because the 
adjacent forests were said to be haunted by the 
Yamadu. I explored them as much as the heavy 
rains permitted, and never encountered any Yamadu; 
but on the very first day I was myself taken for it 
by two girls whom I met suddenly at the turning of 
a large buttressed tree, on a forest trail, and who 
threw down their baskets, laden with manioc, and 
fled affrighted. At length the weather seemed to 
take up a little, although the river was still high, 
and I determined to go on to Vasiva. We accord- 
ingly re-embarked early on the 21st, and eight oars, 
aided by a strong current, brought us to the lake at 
4 P.M. ; but in vain we coasted along to find a bit of 
dry land whereon to encamp, for the trees and 
bushes were all in water up to 4 or 5 feet ; so that 
we had to return to the narrow winding channel 
forming the outlet of the lake, where there was a 
scanty strip of terra firme and a rancho left by a 
party that had gathered turtles' eggs there the 
previous year. Here we remained four days, but 
the weather was dreadfully rainy, the sun never 
once appeared, and all I could do was to creep 
