NARCOTICS AND STIMULANTS 441 
than myself, soon made up their minds about the 
origin of the unwonted sound. It was the Yamadu, 
in propria persona, hunting near us, and he would 
infallibly send us terrible rain or some other 
calamity to warn us off his territory. The soughing 
of the approaching tempest was already heard, and 
presently it burst upon us, with thunder and 
lightning and deluging rain that lasted until mid- 
night. The two following days were dull and 
dropping, and a little later on in the day — that is, 
towards nightfall — we each day heard a single 
report, not quite so near at hand, and then we had 
heavy rain from 7 p.m. throughout the night. My 
people became silent and gloomy, were afraid, they 
said, to hunt or fish, and I believe if I had re- 
mained another night would have every one deserted 
me. So in the afternoon of the 25th I gave the 
order for resuming our voyage down the Casiquiari, 
to their very great content. When I came on deck 
shortly afterwards to see if everything was in 
readiness for starting, I saw some of the men in a 
tree that overhung our encampment, fastening to 
the branches a couple of scarecrow^s they had rigged 
up out of old shirts and trousers. "What does this 
mean, Antonio.^" said I to one of them who was 
fond of talking to me in Lingua Tupi. " Yane- 
rangaua" (our effigies), said he. "Oh, I see," said 
I. "You think to cheat the Yamadu. Seeing us 
up the tree, he will fancy we are still here, and will 
not pursue us dowm the river ! " But I had a quiet 
laugh over it in the recesses of my cabin. It 
reminded me of a fellow pursued by a bull, who 
throws off hat and coat to detain the savage brute 
until he himself can gain a place of safety. 
