A SNAKE-LIKE DANCE 
confronted by 4,000 metres of river in a straight line. 
We had gone but 2,000 metres along that stretch when 
we came to a lovely rectangular island, with a spit of rock 
extending for 120 metres eastward, and separated by a 
narrow channel from the island itself. The island, Susan 
Island, was 100 metres broad and 250 metres long, with 
its fore-part of gravel as usual. It was in a basin 500 
metres wide. 
The river turned to the west-southwest, and was there 
placid enough, although the current was swift. Where 
the river flowed once more in a more northerly direction 
we found rocks and two tiny wooded islands on the left 
side of the stream, one twenty metres, the other seventy 
metres long. There a corrideira occurred soon after we 
had negotiated a dangerous rapid, dangerous because of 
the number of intricate rocks which forced the canoe to 
describe a snake-like dance like a double S, bumping and 
swerving with such force from the restless waters under¬ 
neath, that it was all we could do to prevent her turning 
over. 
In a basin 700 metres wide which was further crossed, 
we admired a picturesque rocky island of a beautiful 
emerald green colour in the centre of the stream. An 
immense barrier of rock was on the northeast side of this 
basin. Before we halted, absolutely worn out by the 
heavy work of the day, we descended another troublesome 
rapid — fortunately that time with no mishaps of any 
kind. 
At five o’clock we made our camp in the only spot we 
could find that was suitable; but no sooner had we landed 
than we were fiercely attacked by millions of sauba or 
carregadores ants which gave us a lively time during the 
entire night. Those ants, which were there absolutely in 
millions, were from one inch to one and a quarter inches in 
length, and possessed powerful clippers on the head with 
which they bit us, giving intense pain. When you had 
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