d-flies and the omnipresent
mosquitoes, climbing, fallen trees that impeded us at every turn,
I thought that I had reached the climax of discomfort. Little could
I know that during the time to come I was to look back upon this day
as one of easy, delightful promenading.

The four hours' march brought us to an open place, apparently a
clearing, where the _estrada_ suddenly seemed to stop. Exhausted,
I threw myself on the moist ground while the Chief explained our
position. He said that we were now at the end of the cut _estrada_
and that beyond this we would have no path to follow, though he had
somewhat explored the region farther on the year previous, during a
similar expedition. We found that the undergrowth had been renewed
to such an extent that his old track was indistinguishable, and we
had to hew our every step. When we resumed the march I received a more
thorough understanding of what the word _jungle_ really means. Ahead of
us was one solid and apparently impenetrable wall of vegetation, but
my men attacked it systematically with their heavy machetes. Slowly
we advanced, but I wondered that we made any progress at all. The
skill of these sons of the forest in cutting a pathway with their
long knives became a constant wonder to me. Where an inexperienced
person would have lost himself, looking for a round-about easy course,
these men moved straight ahead, hewing and hacking right and left,
the play of the swift blades seemingly dissolving all obstacles in
their path. Some idea of the density of the growth can be gathered
from the fact that if a man moved off he became instantly invisible
although he might be only a yard or two away.

Late in the afternoon we reached a small hut or _tambo_ built on
the former trip by the Chief. It was nothing but a roof on poles,
but it was a welcome sight to us as it meant rest and food. We were
tired and hungry and were glad to find a small creek close by where
we could refresh ourselves, taking care to keep out of the reach of
the alligators and water-snakes swimming close to the weeds by the
shore. For our supper we gave the dried _pirarucu_ flesh a boil and
soaked some farinha in water, eating this tasteless repast with as much
gusto as we would if it had been roast beef. Let me here recommend
this diet for any gourmet whose appetite has been impaired, and he
will soon be able to enjoy a stew of shoe-leather. One of the men, a
good-natured athlete, Jerome by name, was sent