1851.] 
INDIAN CARRIERS. 
247 
about lialf-a-dozen of the most novel and interesting 
species to describe and figure, and gave the rest to be 
cleaned and put in the pot, to provide us a rather better 
supper than we had had for some days past. 
The next morning early our porters appeared, con- 
sisting of one man and eight or ten women and girls. 
We accordingly made up loads for each of them. There 
was a basket of salt, about a hundred pounds weight, 
four baskets of farinha, besides boxes, baskets, a jar of 
oil, a demijohn of molasses, a portable cupboard, and 
numerous other articles. The greater part of these 
were taken, in loads proportioned to the strength of the 
bearers, and two of my Indians accompanied them, and 
were to retm^ in the evening, and then go with me 
the next day. Night came however, and they did not 
appear ; but near midnight they came in, telling me 
that they could not keep up with the Javita Indians, 
and night coming on while they were in the middle of 
the road, they had hid their burdens in the forest and 
returned. So the next morning they had to go off ' 
again to finish their journey, and I was obliged to wait 
till they came back, and was delayed another day before 
I could get all my things taken. 
I occupied myself in the forest, catching a few insects, 
which however were not very numerous. The following 
morning we had nothing for breakfast, so I sent the 
Indians off early to fish, with positive instructions to 
return by ten o’clock, in order that we might get to 
Javita before night. They chose however to stay till 
past noon, and then came with two or three small fish, 
which did not give us a mouthful apiece. It was thus 
