ACROSS UNKNOWN SOUTH AMERICA 
clouds reproduced, upside-down, the configuration of the 
country directly underneath them. That was due, no 
doubt, to the air currents diverted by the obstacles on the 
earth’s surface, which caused the masses of mist above to 
assume similar forms — but of course, as I have said, 
upside-down. 
We were still at an elevation of 2,150 feet. The 
temperature during the night went down to 52° Fahren¬ 
heit. My men, as usual, suffered intensely from the cold 
— at least, judging by the noise they made, the moans 
and groans and chattering of teeth. They nearly all had 
violent toothache. Alcides, too, apparently went through 
agony, but he showed a little more manliness than the 
rest and did not make quite such a pitiful exhibition of 
himself. 
It was curious how certain racial characteristics were 
difficult to suppress in individuals. Alcides had some 
German blood in him — rather far removed. He could 
not speak German, nor did he know anything about 
Germany. Yet German characteristics came out in him 
constantly. For instance, the uncontrollable desire to 
write his own name and that of his lady-love on trees and 
rocks all along our passage. Alcides was really very good 
at calligraphy, and some of his inscriptions and ornamen¬ 
tations were real works of art. Many half-hours did we 
have to waste at the different camps, waiting for Alcides 
to finish up the record of his passage in that country, 
and many blades of penknives — I had a good supply of 
them to give as presents to natives — did he render useless 
in incising the lettering on the trees and stones. 
Filippe the negro, who was the best-natured of the lot, 
had become quite swelled-headed with the big salary he 
received. Arithmetic was not his forte. As he could 
hardly write, he was trying to work out, with a number 
of sticks, each representing one day’s salary, how much 
money he had already earned, and how much more he was 
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