ACROSS UNKNOWN SOUTH AMERICA 
sky above changed into horizontal layers of globular 
clouds, which stood as still as death. Leaden black, 
globular accumulations covered one third of the sky vault, 
great unshapen masses overhead rendering the air heavy. 
We marched all that day on a deep layer of ashes. 
On descending from the plateau, we had on our left great 
clean campos and plentiful burity palms in a slight de¬ 
pression where moisture filtered through. As the caravan 
was moving along gaily, a veado (deer) gracefully leapt 
in front and, turning its head back two or three times to 
look at us, ran before us. Filippe, the negro, in his 
excitement, gave wild yells which set the mules stamped¬ 
ing, while green parrots in couples, scared at the sudden 
disturbance, flew overhead, adding piercing shrieks to the 
rapid tinkling of the mules’ bells, the rattling of the bag¬ 
gage on the pack-saddles, and the shouts of the men 
trying to stop the excited mules. All those sudden noises 
mingled together were quite a change for us, accustomed 
to a constant deathly silence. 
Before us on the west-northwest, as we still sank in 
grey ashes, were two conical hillocks. In the distance, to 
the west, two small, flat-topped plateaux rose above the 
sky-line, and also two hills shaped not unlike the backs 
of two whales. On our left we had an immense crack or 
fissure extending from northeast to southwest between 
the hill-range on which we travelled and another on the 
south, both showing huge domes of eruptive rock, 
apparently extensive flows of red lava subsequently black¬ 
ened on the surface by weathering. On the opposite side 
to ours the rock was exposed all along the fissure for a 
great height, except the surface padding on the summit, 
where beautiful, fresh, green grass was in contrast to the 
deep tones of the rock. On our side we were still 
struggling in ashes and sand, with striated and much 
indented boulders of lava showing through. 
We found many sicupira nuts, of a small, flat, and fat 
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