1850 .] JOURNEY THROUGH THE FOREST. 217 
clren. She was a fine specimen of the noble race pro- 
duced by the mixture of the Saxon and Indian blood. 
Proceeding onwards, we came to another recently- 
cleared mandiocca-field. Here the path was quite obli- 
terated, and we had to cross over it as we could. Ima- 
gine the trees of a virgin forest cut down so as to fall 
across each other in every conceivable direction. After 
lying a few months they are burnt; the fire however 
only consumes the leaves and fine twigs and branches ; 
all the rest remains entire, but blackened and charred. 
The mandiocca is then planted without any further pre- 
paration ; and it was across such a field that we, all 
heavily laden, had to find our way. Now climbing on 
the top of some huge trunk, now walking over a shaking 
branch or creeping among a confused thicket of charcoal, 
few journeys require more equanimity of temper than 
one across an Amazonian clearing. 
Passing this, we got into the forest. At first the path 
was tolerable ; soon however it was a mere track a few 
inches wide, winding among thorny creepers, and over 
deep beds of decaying leaves. Gigantic buttress trees, 
tall fluted stems, strange palms, and elegant tree-ferns 
were abundant on every side, and many persons may 
suppose that our walk must necessarily have been a de- 
lightful one ; but there were many disagreeables. Hard 
roots rose up in ridges along our path, swamp and mud 
alternated with quartz pebbles and rotten leaves ; and as 
I floundered along in the barefooted enjoyment of these, 
some overhanging bough would knock the cap from my 
head or the gun from my hand ; or the hooked spines of 
the climbing palms would catch in my shirt-sleeves, and 
