the northern division of the
American continent.

By keeping up the Napo to its source, and then crossing the Cordilleras
of New Granada, they would still be enabled to make westerly as far as
Panama--to which port they could get passage in one of the Grenadian
coasting-vessels.

On arriving at the mouth of the Napo, therefore, they engaged a
_periagua_, with its Indian crew, and continued their journey up this
stream towards the still-distant Cordilleras of Quito.

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE.

THE AMAZONIAN FOREST.

The river Napo is one of the largest of the head waters of the Amazon,
and one of the most interesting--since, by it, most of the early
expeditionists descended in search of the country of the gilded kings,
and the gold-roofed temples of Manoa. Though these proved to be
fabulous, yet the existence of gold dust among the Indians of the Napo
was true enough, and is true to the present hour. On this river, and
its numerous branches, gold washings, or _placers_, are quite common;
and occasionally the savages, who roam over this region, collect the
dust, and exchange it with the traders who venture among them. The
Indians, however, are of too idle a habit to follow this industry with
any degree of energy; and whenever they have obtained a quill full of
the metallic sand--just enough to purchase them some coveted nick-knack
of civilised manufacture--they leave off work, and the precious ingots
are permitted to sleep undiscovered in their beds.

Notwithstanding the length of their journey up the Napo, our travellers
did not deem it tedious. The lovely tropical scenery, ever under their
eyes, together with the numerous little incidents which were constantly
occurring, relieved the monotony of their daily life, and kept them in a
constant state of interested excitement. At every bend of the river
appeared some object, new and worthy of admiration--some grand tropical
plant or tree, some strange quadruped, or some bird of glorious plumage.

The craft in which they travelled was that in general use on the upper
tributaries of the Amazon: a large canoe--hollowed out from the gigantic
_bombax ceiba_, or silk-cotton tree--and usually known as a _periagua_.
Over the stern part, or quarter-deck, a little "round house" is erected,
resembling the tilt of a wagon; but, instead of ash hoops and canvas, it
is constructed of bamboos and leaves of trees. The leaves form a thatch
to shade the sun from the little cabin i