CHAPTER III 
AN EXCURSION TO OBYDOS AND THE RIVER 
TROMBETAS 
{November 19, 1849, to January 6, 1850) 
[The Journal of this excursion, as written out 
by Spruce for publication, has here been consider- 
ably reduced by omitting most of the ordinary 
details of a traveller's daily life, while retaining all 
those descriptions of the vegetation and the general 
aspects of nature which are of permanent interest, 
as well as some of the more eventful incidents of 
the journey. I have also omitted some long geo- 
graphical discussions, as well as a detailed account 
of Cacao culture in various parts of South America, 
thus reducing the narrative portion of this chapter 
by about one-half. It was natural that on his first 
exploring journey into a new district. Spruce should 
have kept a very full Journal ; but I think that 
had he lived to publish his whole Travels, he 
would himself have found it necessary to excise and 
condense his MSS. as vigorously as I have been 
obliged to do, in order to reduce the whole work 
into a moderate compass.] 
On our voyage up the Amazon from Para, we 
had had at first no rain beyond an occasional short 
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