enly black, and when this had spread to the zenith we heard the
rush of a mighty wind sweeping through the forest, and the crash of
falling trees, and then down fell the deluge. The Indians have a saying
that "the path of the sun is the path of the storm." These storm-clouds
moved rapidly, for in half an hour all was quiet on the Napo. At Quito,
two hundred miles west, the usual afternoon shower occurs two hours
later. To-day we enjoyed our last glimpse of the Andes. Far away across
the great forest we had traversed we could see the beautiful cone of
Cotopaxi and the flat top of Cayambi standing out in proud pre-eminence.
Long will it be ere we forget this farewell view of the magnificent
Cordillera.

CHAPTER XV.

Sea-Cows and Turtles' Eggs.--The Forest.--Peccaries.--Indian Tribes
on the Lower Napo.--Anacondas and Howling Monkeys.--Insect
Pests.--Battle with Ants.--Barometric Anomaly.--First View of the
Amazon,--Pebas.

The thirtieth of November was an exciting day on the monotonous Napo. We
fell in with numerous sea-cows sporting in the middle of the stream.
They were greatly disturbed by the sight of our huge craft, and, lifting
their ugly heads high out of the water, gave a peculiar snort, as if in
defiance, but always dived out of sight when fired upon. The sea-cow is
called _vaca marina_ by the Spaniards, _peixe boy_ by the Brazilians,
and _manati_ in the West Indies. It has no bovine feature except in its
upper lip. The head and skin remind one of a large seal. In many
respects it may be likened to a hippopotamus without tusks or legs. It
has a semicircular flat tail, and behind the head are two oval fins,
beneath which are the breasts, which yield a white milk. The flesh
resembles pork, with a disagreeable, fishy flavor.

To-day we anchored at several plaias to hunt turtles' eggs. Our Indians
were very expert in finding the nests. Guided approximately by the
tracks of the _tortugas_, as the turtles are called, they thrust a stick
into the sand, and wherever it went down easily they immediately
commenced digging with their hands, and invariably "struck" eggs. In
four nests, whose contents we counted, there were one hundred and
thirty-two, one hundred and fourteen, one hundred and twelve, and
ninety-seven; but we have heard of one hundred and sixty eggs in a
single nest. The turtles lay in the night, and in pits about two feet
deep, which they excavate with their broad, webbed paws.