the air being infected, or from apprehension of being obliged to
embark,--a matter obnoxious in the extreme to individuals who had
perhaps never seen a canoe in their lives but at a distance. Nay, such
excuses are possibly superfluous, for you well know how often we are
abandoned by them on our mountains, on no pretence whatever. What, under
such circumstances, was to be done? Had my wife been able to return, yet
the desire of reaching the vessel waiting her, together with her anxiety
to rejoin a husband from whom she had been parted twenty years, were
incentives powerful enough to make her, in the peculiar circumstances in
which she was placed, brave even greater obstacles.

In the village only two Indians remained free from the contagion. These
had no boat, but they engaged to construct one, and pilot it to the
mission of Andoas, about twelve days journey below, descending the river
of Bobonaza, a distance of from one hundred and forty to one hundred and
fifty leagues; she paid them beforehand. The canoe being finished, they
all departed from Canelos. After navigating the river two days, on the
succeeding morning the pilots absconded; the unfortunate party embarked
without any one to steer the boat, and passed the day without accident.
The next day at noon, they discovered a canoe in a small port adjoining
a leaf-built hut, in which was a native recovering from illness, who
consented to pilot them. On the third day of his voyage, while stooping
over to recover the hat of Mr K., which had fallen into the water, the
poor man fell overboard, and, not having sufficient strength to reach
the shore, was drowned. Behold the canoe again without a steersman,
abandoned to individuals perfectly ignorant of managing it. In
consequence, it was shortly overset, which obliged the party to land,
and build themselves a hut. They were now but from five to six days
journey from Andoas. Mr R. proposed to repair thither, and get off with
another Frenchman of the party, and the faithful negro belonging to
Madame Godin, taking especial care to carry his effects with him. I
since blamed my wife for not having despatched one of her brothers to
accompany Mr R., but found that neither of them, after the accident
which had befallen the canoe, were inclined to trust themselves on the
water again without a proper pilot. Mr R. moreover promised, that within
a fortnight a canoe should be forwarded to them with a proper complement
of natives. The fort