230 
Hamlet Displays His Talents. 
innumerable orchids, while the white-smoke columns of alabaster seemed 
to support the thick leafy roof. But the greatest stir in this picturesque 
scene was centred around the large lire at the front on which were set 
the big cooking pots surrounded by an everlasting change of nude black 
figures : these were kept on the move not only by a desire for the contents, 
but also by a number of vampires that, attracted by the dazzling lights, 
were solicitously swarming around them. All wants being soon satisfied, 
things began to quieten down and the tattling and singing had already 
ceased when we suddenly heard paddle-strokes close by, and soon after- 
wards saw tires rising on a near-lying island. It meant the arrival of 
Mr. Youd with his party. 
705. Violent rain-showers unfortunately wakened us some hours 
later from our sound slumbers and drove us out of our hammocks which 
we quickly rolled up to protect them from getting wet. In spite of all 
his grumbling and vexation Hamlet had to make it convenient to follow 
our example and boil the coffee. After drinking a cup or two, the dark 
clouds finally lifted from his brow, his cheeriness quickly returned and 
the previous worry over his wife and child seemed at last to be dispelled: 
indeed, his temporary ill-humour passed so completely into a stage exactly 
the opposite that he whiled away the time for us until morning by singing 
and dancing, talents of which he had not let us have any inkling during 
the whole of the first trip. 
706. After once more notifying my brother, at daybreak, of our 
arrival by firing the mortar, and shouting our morning greeting to Mr. 
Youd who was also preparing to strike camp, our little squadron resumed 
its way until a second rocky barrier abruptly interrupted its course. 
We had been able to cross the first one with loaded boats, but here we 
had to discharge cargo, carry the baggage overland, and haul up the 
emptied vessels over the falls by rope, a labour that from now onwards 
had to be renewed almost daily. Yoon was long past when we finally 
tied the last boat to the water-side bushes beyond the summit and could 
again load cargo. A small bend of the river concealed the view, and 
hardly had we paddled round it than at a short distance right ahead, 
we saw my brother’s camp upon a small sandbank, but at the same 
time, in the background, a madly rushing mass of foaming water. As 
our strength had been already severely taxed, and the difficulties still to 
be overcome were so enormous, we should hardly have got a single boat 
through the whirlpool to-day, and accordingly postponed making the 
attempt until the morrow. 
707. This intermission before the later evening hours was all the 
more convenient as I could now admire at leisure the flora as yet 
unknown to me, on the rocky islands and in between the crags, and make 
the most of them for my collection. Everything was new, in every plant 
I noted some form not yet seen, the Orchid family even greeting me with 
new species. If the growth between and upon the granite crags was not 
so luxuriant as in tlie area of the lower river, it was nevertheless equally 
