e an acquaintance with the hard, jagged tail of an
extraordinarily strong monster, which measured full sixteen and a half
feet.

Even before the huge spoil is cut up, four musk-glands, placed by twos
under its jaw, and on its belly, near the beginning of the tail, must be
carefully taken out, to prevent the diffusion, over the whole body, of
the penetrating odor of the greasy, brown liquid they contain. These
glands, which are about an inch and a half long and as thick as a
finger, are carefully tied up and suspended in the sun to dry. Mixed
with a little rose-water, their contents serve, as we were told, to
perfume the raven-black tresses of the elegant Bolivian ladies at Santa
Cruz de la Sierra and Cochabamba, in spite of, or rather by reason
of, their strong scent, which gives the headache to all save these
strong-nerved senoritas, who love a bull-fight above everything, who
know how to roll the cigarrito, and to dance the fandango with matchless
grace, but who scarcely are able to write their own names.

After such a pleasant interlude of fishing or hunting, the paddles are
plied with renewed vigor until the evening, when sleeping quarters are
selected, either on a sand-bank or in the forest. The canoes are moored
by strong piassaba ropes in some recess of the bank, where they
are protected against drifting trunks; the tents are erected, and
preparations ensue for the principal meal. Meanwhile, after the very
short interval of twilight usual in the tropics, night almost suddenly
throws her dark veil over the valley, and the bright constellations of
the southern sky in quiet majesty adorn the firmament.

While we prepare to take astronomical observations, half a dozen large
fires are lighted round about, in whose fitful blaze the neighboring
forest-trees appear like huge phantoms, looking contemptuously down on
us, poor tiny mortals. Our Indians warm themselves in the cheerful glow,
smoking, and chatting of the day's adventures, or rather of what are
regarded as such,--unusual good or ill luck at fishing and hunting; the
casual meeting of some canoe; or the sight of a seringueiro's poor
cottage. Work over, they take off the rough cascara, and put on the
camiseta, a cotton garment without sleeves, resembling a wide poncho
sewn together at the sides, and whose dazzling whiteness is set off by
two scarlet stripes along the seams. The ample folds and the simple cut
of the garment, which is made by the Indian women of t