A Substitute for Milk. 
190 
the door, past which soft-hearted Stöckle hurried with eyes bathed in 
tears. Everything that our medicine-chest contained in the way of 
anti-spasmodics was immediately handed over to the Negress who had 
followed us, and her brother brought us news shortly after that the 
distressed patient had fallen asleep. He had already sent a messenger 
yesterday to Wakenaam for the doctor, but up till now the latter had not 
put in an appearance. Salutary sleep was unfortunately soon to be 
denied her, and the cries of pain echoing afresh throughout the silent 
house were continued with but few interruptions throughout the whole of 
the night. When next morning we stepped up into her bedroom we 
thought we already recognised the presence of that surest cure for all 
our sufferings, the Messenger of Peace. As it was the eastern bank of 
the river that we followed on the return journey, I was unfortunately 
never able to learn what ultimately happened to the patient. 
650. Very deeply affected, it was in silence that we continued on 
our journey up the glorious Essequibo along which we were wafted with 
the fresh early morning breeze. Now that the river was free of islands 
its remote eastern shore glittered at us occasionally through the 
gradually unfolding clouds of haze like a bluish band fringing the rays 
of sunrise that came into view with its golden edge. Sometimes we neared 
the densely forested western bank where thousands upon thousands of 
feathered residents chimed their happy voices unmindful of our sorrow: 
sometimes we drew away and returned to the middle of the stream. A 
dear little cottage surrounded by countless cacao trees with their yellow 
fruit and small dainty blossoms conspicuous amidst the pretty foliage 
seductively invited us in the evening to sling our hammocks under its roof 
which its owner, a coloured man, readily agreed to. While taking our 
black coffee in the morning our host asked us to wait a while because 
although not possessing goats or cows he knew where to get some milk. 
He soon returned with a basketful of beautiful ripe Sawari nuts, the 
fruit of the Pekea tuberculosa Aubl. ( Garyocar tomentosum Willd. ), 
broke the kernels out of their shells, pounded them in a vessel and 
poured the expressed fatty white juice into the dark brown liquid which 
now bore comparison with the morning coffee of Europeans mixed with 
the fattest of cream. The sensible fellow did not teach us the little 
piece of magic in vain, because this vegetable milk has often coloured our 
coffee since, and made it tasty. 
651. The awakened screech, after sunrise, of the streams of parrots 
flying away over the stream also warned us that it was time to get away 
if we still wanted to reach Bartika Grove before sunset. We only suc- 
ceeded in doing so after dark when the friendly Bernau put at our disposal 
a pretty empty house situate close to a steep descent on the nine to ten 
foot high bank. Two mornings later I was able to hand over a corial 
plentifully laden with provisions to our old captain to take up the 
Cuyuni and look out for the Expedition. Circumstances also rendered 
it possible for me to apply regular and suitable treatment to my feet, the 
condition of which put every prospective excursion out of the question. Its 
salutary effects soon rendered themselves apparent and when the con- 
tinuous rain did not keep us back I was enabled to make small daily 
v ‘ ff 
