Q 9 9 
TRAVELS ON THE RIO NEGRO. [November, 
into a deep gnlly between steep rocks, and a considerable 
circuit had to be made to get it. In a few minutes 
however it was brought to me, and I was lost in admi- 
ration of the dazzling brilliancy of its soft downy fea- 
thers. Not a spot of blood was visible, not a feather 
was ruffled, and the soft, warm, flexible body set off the 
fresh swelling plumage in a manner which no stuffed ^ 
specimen can approach. After some time, not finding 
any more gallos, most of the party set off on an excursion 
up a more impracticable portion of the rock, leaving two 
boys with me till they returned. We soon got tired of 
waiting, and as the boys made me understand that they 
knew the path back to our cave, I determined to re- 
turn. We descended deep chasms in the rocks, climbed 
up steep precipices, descended again and again, and 
passed through caverns with huge masses of rocks piled i 
above our heads. Still we seemed not to get out of the ? 
mountain, but fresh ridges rose before us, and more i 
fearful fissures were to be passed. We toiled on. How 
climbing by roots and creepers up perpendicular walls, 
now creeping along a narrow ledge, with a yawning 
chasm on each side of us. I could not have imagined 
such serrated rocks to exist. It appeared as if a steep 
mountain-side had been cut and hacked by some gigantic 
force into fissures and ravines, from fifty to a hundred 
feet deep. My gun was a most inconvenient load when 
climbing up these steep and slippei y places, and I did it 
much damage by striking its muzzle against the hard 
granite rock. At length we appeared to have got into 
the very heart of the mountain: no outlet was visible, 
and through the dense forest and matted underwood, 
¥ 
