CHAPTER XIV 
In the Hands of Providence— A Mutiny—Another Mutiny—Food¬ 
less—Hard and Dangerous Work— A Near Approach to Hades — 
Making an Artificial Channel among Thousands of Boulders — 
An Awe-inspiring Scene — The Fall of S. Simao — A Revolt 
W E all slept soundly that night, I taking good care 
to fasten the canoe well, so that we should not 
find her gone next morning. 
We had a minimum temperature of 63° Fahrenheit on 
the night of August eighth. 
In the morning my men killed another big monkey, 
with the most human face I have ever seen on a quad- 
ruman — just like a negro’s countenance. It came very 
near us in its curiosity to see what we were doing, and, 
though shot at several times, remained there watching us, 
as it had never heard the report of a rifle before. When 
it fell down it put its hand on the wound across its chest 
and cried just like a child. I moved away while my men 
banged it on the head to finish it off. 
After a hearty breakfast on the part of my men — 
my own being limited to a small box of sardines, some 
twenty or thirty boxes still remaining in my supply of 
provisions — we resumed our journey down the trouble¬ 
some rapid. We had to do that with ropes, Alcides, with 
his extraordinary way of thinking, actually going to the 
trouble of shifting a big rock out of the water, which took 
him the best part of an hour, rather than let the canoe go 
round it — in absolutely placid waters in that particular 
spot. I let him do it rather than have a quarrel, as I 
191 
