fallen among the "cannibal fish" in the midst of wide
rivers where they had no chance of escape. These ferocious little
"caribes," or "caribitos," as they are called (for the word _carib_
signifies cannibal), lie at the bottom of rivers, and are not easily
seen; but the moment an attack is made by one of them, and a drop of
blood stains the water, the whole shoal rises to the surface, and woe to
the creature that is assailed by their sharp triangular teeth!

Of course the wounds of Leon, although painful, were not dangerous, but
the chief danger lay in the loss of blood which was pouring from so many
veins. But Guapo found ready to his hand the best thing in the world
for stopping it. On some mimosa-trees, not far from the house, he had
already observed--indeed, so had all of them--a very singular species of
ants' nests of a yellowish brown colour. The ants themselves were of a
beautiful emerald green. They were the _Formica spinicollis_. These
nests were composed of a soft cotton-down, which the ants had collected
from a species of _Melastoma_, a handsome shrub found growing in these
regions; and this down Guapo knew to be the best for blood-stopping.
Even Don Pablo had heard of its being used by the Indians for this
purpose, and knew it by the name of "_yesca de hormigas_," or "touchwood
of ants." He had heard, moreover, that it was far superior even to the
ants' nests of Cayenne, which form an article of commerce and are highly
prized in the hospitals of Europe. Guapo, therefore, ran off and robbed
the green ants of their nests, and speedily returned with the full of
his hands of the soft "yesca." This was applied to the wounds, and in a
few minutes the bleeding was effectually stopped, and Leon, although
still suffering pain, had now only to be patient and get well.

Strange to say, another incident occurred that very evening, which
taught our party a further lesson of the danger of taking to the water
without knowing more of its inhabitants. Just as they had finished
supper, and were seated in front of their new house, the mule, that had
been let loose, stepped into the river to drink and cool its flanks. It
was standing in the water, which came up to its belly, and, having
finished its drink, was quietly gazing around it. All at once, it was
observed to give a violent plunge, and make with hot haste for the bank.
It snorted and looked terrified, while its red nostrils were wide open,
and its eyes appea