ACROSS UNKNOWN SOUTH AMERICA 
underneath, and not keep her in the centre of the channel, 
where the water was deeper. This idea was, I think, 
suggested by his inability to swim, and the hope that if 
we got wrecked he could touch bottom with his feet, 
so that his life might be in comparative safety. I 
tried to argue the point with him, but it was no use. It 
invariably led to such unpleasantness that once more 
I decided to trust in Providence, as long as we went 
forward. 
I had just shoilted to Alcides to keep in the centre of 
the channel. Of course he disobeyed. We were caught 
in the strong current. One moment later there was a 
violent bump which knocked us all off our seats and sent 
us sprawling in the bottom of the canoe. We had stuck 
fast between two rocks. The canoe, being of such great 
length, vibrated to and fro, with the current forcing it at 
the side. Laden as she was with baggage, in a few 
moments she became filled with water, and it was only 
after working hard for the best part of an hour that we 
were able to extricate ourselves from our position. We 
had hardly finished baling the water out on resuming our 
course before, 1,500 metres farther, we came to more 
rapids, then, 700 metres beyond, yet other rapids. 
The forest was fairly thick all along on both banks, 
with innumerable healthy rubber trees. Although the 
forest seemed impenetrable at first sight, I always found 
that it was easy enough to go through it, if one knew how. 
Quite close to the water najurally the vegetation was 
somewhat entangled. In many places were extensive 
patches of bamboos of considerable height; but there is a 
way of disentangling the most confused growth, if you 
happen to understand how those plants and liane grow 
and get twisted. Any one with a keen sense of observa¬ 
tion should experience no difficulty whatever in going 
through the densest forest anywhere in the world, even 
without using a knife, although, of course, the latter is 
26 
