23S 
Fellow-Tribesmen Camp Together. 
turtle eggs for himself was this strict system somewhat relaxed. After 
this was done, and the eggs found, one lot hurried along the banks to cut 
posts for the tents, another looked for dry firewood — because Hamlet, 
tlie cook, would be extremely annoyed if, on his arrival, there was not 
sufficient on hand to light the lires for his pots and pans — while the 
hunters took their weapons, some of the fishers their bows and arrows, 
and others of them their fishing-lines which they cast at suitable spots. 
Suddenly the full round note of the signal-horn would sound and the 
men chosen for the purpose hurry to the corial with drinking-cups, pots 
and dishes, to fetch I he rations of rice, rum, and so on, which on this 
particular day were distributed less carefully than usual : the boathands’ 
cook would return with bis heavily-laden ministering subordinates to 
the big cauldron under which a mighty lire already blazed, and his 
powerful stentorian voice, when the food was cooked, would call the 
scattered coloured folk to come and take their share : in short, order 
reigned everywhere, every move was orderly. For the rest, it is an 
extraordinary phenomenon that Indians of different tribes when asso- 
ciated on a journey never eat nor sling their hammocks close together, 
every tribe making its own separate camp so that when, later on, our 
companions included Warraus, Akawais, Maeusis, and Caribs, we were 
surrounded with a little township where the residents were separated 
from one another into four areas. The blazing fires spread themselves 
out in all directions underneath the earthen pots which now contained 
an iguana, sometimes a fish, or again a monkey. Then, during the 
journey upstream or after landing, every Indian tried to add 
some special tit-bit to his rations: the salt fish on the contrary which 
did not seem to be appreciated, was only used in cases of extreme 
necessity. In fine weather the Indians and coloured hands contented 
themselves with fixing posts into the sandbanks and slinging their 
hammocks upon them or else upon the trees at the edge of the forest, 
but when rain seemed to threaten they lagged up at a moment’s notice 
a number of small benabs which they covered with palm leaves, or 
leaves of the Ramwla (/iiiancnxis Rich. One must himself have been 
witness of such scenes to be able to sketch an accurate picture of them: 
the hurry and bustle of the people, the primeval sublimity of the 
surroundings, the solemn darkness of the night and the cheering twinkle 
of the stars — everything is so combined as to give the whole a charm 
which is as artistic as if is bizarre. But the beauty of the spectacle is 
intensified when, through the veil of a somewhat clouded sky, the moon 
sheds her magic light over the landscape, to fringe the majestic stream 
with a silver border, and to bring into prominence the gloom of the 
sharply defined forest-clad islands, when the banks adjacent to the 
gentle ripples sparkling in the sheen sadly cast their darkened shadows 
far into the silvery water and form a glaring contrast with the blazing 
fires and Indian figures now showing up and now lost to sight. Such 
was the scene that met my gaze on the last evening of the year. The 
lively voices, the ringing songs of the coloured people, and the outbursts 
of laughter were stilled, the busy figures disappeared, the fires died out, 
and a dead calm spread over the previous activities of the camp. Other 
