HOW ISLANDS ARE FORMED 
more deposits of flying and floating particles. The soft 
bottom of the river, disturbed by the deviated current, 
piled up mud against the submerged branches resting on 
the river-bed. Quickly an island was then formed; more 
wood accumulated, more grass, more mud; the base of 
the islands would increase rapidly, and in the space of 
a few years islands several kilometres in length rose above 
the water. 
We had reached a point where the two great rivers 
Maranon and Ucayalli — both descending from the Andes 
■—joined and formed the river Solimoes, which we had so 
far navigated. We followed the Ucayalli. 
On December thirty-first we entered a small arm on 
the left side of the river and we reached no less a place 
than New York — very dissimilar, I can assure you, from 
its namesake of the United States of North America. 
Far from seeing skyscrapers, brilliantly illuminated 
streets, and ferry-boats and steamers galore, there were 
only half a dozen thatched huts with bona-ipalm walls and 
floors. In the water floated two or three small canoes; 
that was all. The place was chiefly remarkable for the 
number and the fierceness of its mosquitoes — regular 
clouds of them. Only one thing New York of Ucayalli 
seemed to have in common with New York of the United 
States — the people seemed to be able to stand a lot of 
drink. They purchased from the Bimac a number of 
boxes of beer. 
We proceeded. In a way it was amusing to travel 
on a trading boat. Every time we approached a hut the 
steamer blew her whistle; the people got up, at any time 
of the night, to come on board and see what there was for 
sale. I slept on deck, and from my bed could see what 
was going on all the time. 
St. Helena came next, with its depot and farmhouse. 
A few cows could be seen grazing on the poorest kind of 
grass. We could often get good fruit at those farmhouses, 
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