300 
EXCUKSIONS AROUND EGA. Chap. IY. 
several miles in circumference. We slept again in the 
forest, and again were annoyed by rain and mosquitoes : 
but this time Cardozo and I preferred remaining where 
we were to mingling with the reeking crowd in the 
boats. When the grey dawn arose a steady rain was still 
falling, and the whole sky had a settled leaden appear- 
ance, but it was delightfully cool. We took our net into 
the lake and gleaned a good supply of delicious fish 
for breakfast. I saw at the upper end of this lake the 
native rice of this country growing wild. 
The weather cleared up at 10 o'clock a.m. At 3 p.m. we 
arrived at the mouth of the Cayambe, another tributary 
stream much larger than the Juteca. The channel of 
exit to the Solimoens was here also very narrow, but 
the expanded river inside is of vast dimensions : it 
forms a lake (I may safely venture to say) several score 
miles in circumference. Although prepared for these 
surprises, I was quite taken aback in this case. We 
had been paddling all day along a monotonous shore, 
with the dreary Solimoens before us, here three to four 
miles broad, heavily rolling onward its muddy waters. 
We come to a little gap in the earthy banks, and find 
a dark, narrow inlet with a wall of forest over-sha- 
dowing it on each side : we enter it, and at a distance 
of two or three hundred yards a glorious sheet of water 
bursts upon the view. The scenery of Cayambe is 
very picturesque. The land, on the two sides visible of 
the lake, is high and clothed with sombre woods, varied 
here and there with a white-washed house, in the 
middle of a green patch of clearing, belonging to set- 
tlers. In striking contrast to these dark, rolling forests 
