WONDERFUL SCENERY 
later, that my men began to be quite adventurous. Saving 
trifling mishaps, we were getting on well. The tributaries 
of the Arinos we had seen so far that day were small 
streamlets one metre wide on the right; another, two 
metres wide, a limpid stream, coming from the south¬ 
west on the left. Several springs of clear water filtered 
through the left bank. In the centre of the river was 
an extensive bank of gravel held up by blocks of volcanic 
rock. 
In a basin 150 metres wide rose a pretty island. 
Rapids were found in the channels, of which the western 
was wider and more free from obstacles. For one entire 
kilometre there were strong eddies and rapids in suc¬ 
cession; then came 3,500 metres of fairly easy travelling. 
The river for 23,500 metres had been flowing almost in 
a straight line due north, with slight variations of a few 
degrees to the northeast and once to the northwest. 
Plenty of tucum or tucuma palms adorned the right bank, 
whereas on the left bank was fairly open country. 
Again, after some more rapids, the river was squeezed 
into a neck only 25 metres wide, gradually widening to 
some 150 metres, where whirlpools and eddies of consider¬ 
able magnitude were formed. On several occasions the 
canoe was caught in them and swerved right round, 
describing one or more circles upon herself. Two islets 
were passed, then a tributary 10 metres wide coming from 
the east on the right side of us. 
A great number of submerged rocks close to the sur¬ 
face formed a ridge 200 metres in length all along the 
centre of the stream. In a wonderful stretch 4,000 metres 
long in a perfectly straight line north, the river was from 
50 to 100 metres wide. A small tributary rivulet entered 
it on the west. At the end of that long stretch a wall, 
100 feet high, of brilliantly yellow rock in its lower part, 
with 15 feet of vivid red rock above, diverted the stream 
almost at a right angle toward the west. Rapids and 
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