PROVISIONS THROWN AWAY 
tableland. Unluckily we went on and on until the evening 
and we found no more water at all. Only a torrential 
shower came upon us during the night, and we were able 
to fill our cups with water to quench our thirst. Men 
and baggage got soaked in that storm. The loads were 
much heavier to carry the next morning. 
On August thirtieth, when I called the men in order 
to make a start, two of them were attacked severely by 
fever, their temperature being 108°. They seemed to be 
in agony, and had no strength left. 
Mr. Julio Nery said that his duties called him back 
to his post, and he must return with the Indians under 
his charge. He accompanied me up to lunch-time, when 
we all together had a hearty meal. After lunch I gave 
Mr. Nery and his men ample provisions to return to the 
river Tapajoz, where the boat was awaiting them. Not 
only that, but I presented Mr. Nery with a handsome 
rifle and a watch, in remembrance of his politeness to me. 
In order that he might have a pleasant journey back, I 
also gave him the few tins of delicacies which I had 
brought for myself, the only four tins of condensed milk 
I had been able to obtain in S. Manoel, and a few tins of 
sardines which had remained from my provisions I had 
taken over from England, and which he liked very much. 
It was a great trial to me to see how my men wasted 
food all the time. When I examined the loads once more, 
I found that nearly the entire supply of flour, farinha , rice, 
lard, and much of the tinned stuff had been thrown away. 
We had been marching four and a half days, and out of 
the three months 5 provisions we had food enough left to 
last us only a few days. 
With my reduced party of my six original men, the 
Indian Miguel and his friend the carrier — eight alto¬ 
gether -— I started once more in a westerly direction, 
opening a picada , that is to say, cutting our way through 
the forest. 
245 
