great river of Orellana, as he himself had
done; and secondly, because he was still more desirous that his _own
son_ should see it.

How this last wish was to be gratified by his brother making the descent
of the Amazon, may require explanation; but it will suffice to say that
the son of Richard Trevannion was at that time residing with his uncle
at the mines of Cerro Pasco.

The boy had gone to Peru the year before, in one of his father's
ships,--first, to see the Great Ocean, then the Great Andes,--afterwards
to become acquainted with the country of the Incas, and last, though not
of least importance, to make the acquaintance of his own uncle and his
two interesting cousins, the elder of whom was exactly his own age. He
had gone to the Pacific side by _sea_. It was his father's wish he
should return to the Atlantic side by land,--or, to speak more
accurately, by _river_.

The merchant's wish was to be gratified. The miner had no desire to
refuse compliance with his proposal. On the contrary, it chimed in with
his own inclinations. Ralph Trevannion possessed a spirit adventurous as
his brother's, which fourteen years of mining industry, carried on in
the cold mountains of Cerro Pasco, had neither deadened nor chilled. The
thought of once more returning to the scenes of his youth quite
rejuvenated him; and on the day of receiving his brother's challenge to
go, he not only accepted it, but commenced proceedings towards carrying
the design into execution.

A month afterwards and he might have been seen descending the eastern
slope of the Cordilleras on mule-back, and accompanied by his family and
followers; afterwards aboard a _balsa_,--one of those curious crafts
used in the descent of the Huallaga; and later still on the _montaria_,
upon the bosom of the great river itself.

With the details of his mountain travels, interesting as they may be, we
have naught to do. No more with his descent of the Huallaga, nor his
long voyage on the Amazon itself, in that up-river portion of the stream
where it is called the "Maranon." Only where it becomes the stupendous
"Solimoes" do we join Ralph Trevannion on his journey, and remain with
him as long as he is "AFLOAT IN THE FOREST," _or making a voyage among
the tree-tops_.

CHAPTER III.

THE GALATEA.

On an evening in the early part of December, a craft of singular
construction might have been seen descending the Solimoes, and
apparently making for the little Portugue