170 
Gourmands Pay the Penalty. 
on a battle field, and then quickly took to the boats so as to get rid of 
our chilly sensations by muscular exertion with the paddles. The sky 
seemed to have exhausted itself in its fury, so that we dared hope to 
secure a night’s rest in dry hammocks. The delightful prospect of reach- 
ing his village to-dav, where Caberalli was never tired of telling us about 
the many fowls and the quantity of cassava bread that would be found, 
strained every languishing muscle anew. The broad Waini with its 
dirty water and uniform river side clothing was soon once more reached: 
and thanks to the ebb that had set in, we hurried quickly down stream 
to our longed-for goal. But the results consequent on yesterday’s 
gluttony and damage to their stomachs, as well as on their exposure to 
the wet and unfavourable night soon made themselves patent : fever and 
diarrhoea became general among the boathands whose strength for 
paddling was diminishing every hour. 
578. Towards midday we reached the mouth of the Bariniani Avhich 
empties itself here into the Waini from the south (east on its eastern 
bank, and at the same time constitutes one of the largest tributaries, its 
breadth amounting to more than 300 feet. The vegetation of its banks 
along which Ave now made our Avay, showed at first slight or no difference 
from that of the Waini. Only by little and little did it take on another 
character. The low overflooded banks again became covered with 
Lauriiieac, Leguminosae, Rubiaceae; Mclastomaceac, and Bombaceae al- 
though all these families so far as regards size and luxuriance, were far 
inferior to those that Ave came across on the Barima: even the Morn 
excelsa reached scarcely half the height and circumference of its rela- 
tives on that river, Avhere I have already attempted to portray its huge 
size. The Manicarin , Leopoldinia, and Euterpe, the last-mentioned 
overladen with ripe berries, even still formed the immediate limits of the 
banks while innumerable parakeets and parrots, and here and there a 
Penelope cr-istata offered a light and dainty morning-meal. Our Aveapons 
that had rested so long were accordingly quickly got out and at last put 
to use again: unfortunately we had no opportunity of turning them on 
the Marudis, for these considered it advisable to hurry off before we could 
get within shot. 
579. With the newly awakened display of Life surrounding us, the 
strength and spirits of our boathands became revived. Numbers of. 
Tanagra and Euplione twittered as they Acav from branch to branch; a 
solitary king fisher, scared by us while Avatching for its prey, rose ahead 
with its guttural cry; and the proximity of wandering troops of monkeys 
Avas betrayed by a shrill howling, amidst the dark foliage of the tree' 1 . 
If the depression under which Ave hitherto laboured had been obliterated 
to a large extent by this refreshingly vivid Avealth of nature, the warm 
invigorating sunshine iioav completely dispelled it. But the more the 
delightful landscapes of the neighbourhood inclined us to be cheerful, 
the more striking was the Avant of harmony that unset this inclination 
when the brutality of our Negroes once more aroused our indignation. 
580. During the last few days even our tame parrots, apparently 
overcome with surprise at hearing none of the bird-calls of their un- 
fettered friends, had occupied their perches in silence. But now that 
