ere, though the
rapidity of the current was very considerable, the thick sward of grass
was "laid" flat along the sides of the stream, and the soil was not
abraded so much as to discolor the flood. When we came to the opposite
side of this valley, some pieces of the ferruginous conglomerate, which
forms the capping to all other rocks in a large district around and
north of this, cropped out, and the oxen bit at them as if surprised
by the appearance of stone as much as we were; or it may have contained
some mineral of which they stood in need. We had not met with a stone
since leaving Shinte's. The country is covered with deep alluvial soil
of a dark color and very fertile.

In the afternoon we came to another stream, nyuana Loke (or child of
Loke), with a bridge over it. The men had to swim off to each end of the
bridge, and when on it were breast deep; some preferred holding on by
the tails of the oxen the whole way across. I intended to do this too;
but, riding to the deep part, before I could dismount and seize the helm
the ox dashed off with his companions, and his body sank so deep that I
failed in my attempt even to catch the blanket belt, and if I pulled the
bridle the ox seemed as if he would come backward upon me, so I struck
out for the opposite bank alone. My poor fellows were dreadfully alarmed
when they saw me parted from the cattle, and about twenty of them made
a simultaneous rush into the water for my rescue, and just as I reached
the opposite bank one seized my arm, and another threw his around my
body. When I stood up, it was most gratifying to see them all struggling
toward me. Some had leaped off the bridge, and allowed their cloaks to
float down the stream. Part of my goods, abandoned in the hurry, were
brought up from the bottom after I was safe. Great was the pleasure
expressed when they found that I could swim, like themselves, without
the aid of a tail, and I did and do feel grateful to these poor heathens
for the promptitude with which they dashed in to save, as they thought,
my life. I found my clothes cumbersome in the water; they could swim
quicker from being naked. They swim like dogs, not frog-fashion, as we
do.

In the evening we crossed the small rivulet Lozeze, and came to some
villages of the Kasabi, from whom we got some manioc in exchange for
beads. They tried to frighten us by telling of the deep rivers we should
have to cross in our way. I was drying my clothes by turning myself