222 TlMEHRl. 
was soon lost, and in our efforts to regain it the 
party soon separated. Only after about two hours 
did we reassemble and compare notes. Some had en- 
deavoured to avoid the deeper parts of the water by 
using the fallen tree-trunks as bridges ; of these at least 
one had been rewarded by slipping off more than once 
and falling bodily into the flood, these accidents being 
in no small degree due to the fact that he to whom 
they befell had picked up a large tortoise during the course 
of his journey and centred too much of his attention 
on frantic efforts to carry the beast with him. One 
Indian boy who had been separated from everyone 
else explained that he had lost not only the path but 
also his trousers in the flood. 
However, being all once more together, we resu- 
med our way. The land being now somewhat higher, 
it was only occasionally that we passed through small 
reaches of the flood. Once we came to the Issororo, 
here shallow but still some fifty feet broad. The path 
crosses the river here on a felled tree, ordinarily some 
three feet above the water, but now some two feet 
under the surface of the flood, which was rushing over it 
at no mean rate. A thin bush-rope, about the size of 
thick twine, was stretched from bank to bank direc- 
tly over the submerged and hidden log. Guiding 
ourselves by this, we had to feel our way with our 
feet through the flood to the other side. About an hour 
after passing this obstacle we reached the settlement 
where is the house of our guide Daniel, the most remote 
of any in that direction. Wearied by the walk, which 
had occupied some five hours instead of three 
