SOUTH AMERICA. 
213 
availed us naught; a cayman came and took it, but third 
° 7 ^ TftUHNFY 
would not swallow it. 
Seeing it was useless to attend the shark-hook any 
longer, we left it for the night, and returned to our 
hammocks. 
Ere I fell asleep, a reflection or two broke in upon 
me. I considered, that as far as the judgment of 
civilized man went, every thing had been procured 
and done to ensure success. We had hooks, and 
lines, and baits, and patience; we had spent nights 
in watching, had seen the cayman come and take 
the bait, and after our expectations had been wound 
up to the highest pitch, all ended in disappointment. 
Probably this poor wild man of the woods would 
succeed by means of a very simple process; and 
thus prove to his more civilized brother, that not¬ 
withstanding books and schools, there is a vast deal 
of knowledge to be picked up at every step, which¬ 
ever way we turn ourselves. 
In the morning, as usual, we found the bait gone 
from the shark-hook. The Indians went into the 
forest to hunt, and we took the canoe to shoot fish 
and get another supply of turtle’s eggs, which we 
found in great abundance on this large sand-bank. 
We went to the little shallow creek, and shot 
some young caymen, about two feet long. It was 
astonishing to see what spite and rage these little 
things showed when the arrows struck them; they 
turned round and bit it, and snapped at us when 
we went into the water to take them out. Daddv 
«/ 
Quashi boiled one of them for his dinner, and found 
