r, was by no means promising for the long journey which
was necessary to enable us to reach home next day; a circumstance on
which the lives of these animals in all probability depended, especially
as the grass here was very indifferent. We had also little more than a
pint of water for each horse; and it was difficult to give that scanty
allowance to any one of the animals in sight of the others, so furious
were they on seeing it.

May 5.

Proceeding in search of our first day's track we entered almost
immediately the burning forest. We perceived that much pains had been
taken by the natives to spread the fire, from its burning in separate
places.

Huge trees fell now and then with a crashing sound, loud as thunder,
while others hung just ready to fall, and as the country was chiefly open
forest, the smoke, at times, added much sublimity to the scenery.

INTERVIEW WITH THREE NATIVES.

We travelled five miles through this fire and smoke, all the while in
expectation of coming unawares upon the natives who had been so busy in
annoying us. At length we saw the huts which we had passed the day
before, and soon after three natives, who immediately got behind trees as
we advanced; but although one ran off, yet the others answered my cooey,
and I went towards them on foot, with a green branch. They seemed busy,
digging at the root of a large tree; but on seeing me advance they came
forward with a fire-stick and sat down; I followed their example, but the
cordiality of our meeting could be expressed only by mutual laughing.

They were young men, yet one was nearly blind from ophthalmia or filth. I
called up one of my men and gave a tomahawk to the tallest of these
youths, making what signs I could to express my thirst and want of water.

ROOTS OF TREES SUCKED BY THE NATIVES.

Looking as if they understood me, they hastened to resume their work, and
I discovered that they dug up the roots for the sake of drinking the sap.
It appeared that they first cut these roots into billets, and then
stripped off the bark or rind, which they sometimes chew, after which,
holding up the billet and applying one end to the mouth, they let the
juice drop into it. We now understood for what purpose the short clubs
which we had seen the day before had been cut. The youths resumed their
work the moment they had received the tomahawk without looking more at us
or at the tool. I thought this nonchalance rather singular, and
attributed their a