128 
TRAVELS ON THE AMAZON. 
ourselves comfortable in them. I managed to crowd in 
somehow, terribly cramped, hoping the shower would 
soon pass over; but as it did not, and we had turned 
in without our suppers, I began to feel very hungry. It 
was pitch-dark, but I groped my way out, fumbled about 
for some wood, and with an Indian’s assistance made up 
the fire, by which I sat with some palm-leaves over my 
head, and made a hearty meal of Jacu (a species of 
Penelope), which had been stewed in the afternoon. 
When I had finished, I was pretty well soaked ; but to 
find or put on dry clothes was out of the question, so I 
again rolled myself up uncomfortably into a ball, and- 
slept pretty well till daybreak, when it had just ceased 
raining, and a cup of hot coffee set me all right. We 
then again started off, but this day had great difficulties 
to encounter : several sunken logs were passed over with 
great labour, but at last there was a tree fallen over the 
stream, which the canoe could not possibly pass under, 
so we had to spend more than an hour cutting it through 
with axes which we carried for the pm^pose. About 
three in the afternoon we reached another stopping- 
place, and as we did not wish to have a repetition of 
last night’s enjoyment, the Indians set to work making 
a little sleeping-hut. They had a long way to go for 
thatch, as there was only one palm-tree about a mile off, 
and this they cut down to supply us with a roof. 
However, as we took the trouble to make a house, we 
had fine weather the three days we staid, and did not 
want it. While here we had not much success.' The 
hunters killed some deer, large birds, and monkeys, but 
did not meet with either of those I particularly wanted. 
