day they made good progress, having dropped down the river a
distance of fifty miles at least. They might even have gone farther,
but a good camping-place offered, and they did not like to pass it, as
they might not find another so convenient. It was a muddy bank, or
rather a promontory that ran out into the river, and was entirely
without trees, or any other vegetation, as it was annually overflowed,
and formed, in fact, part of the bed of the river. At this time the mud
was quite dry and smooth, and appeared as if it had been paddled and
beaten down by the feet of animals and birds. This was, in fact, the
case, for the point was a favourite resting-place for the "chiguires,"
or "capivaras," on their passage to and from the water. There were
tracks of tapirs, too, and peccaries, and many sorts of wading birds,
that had been there while the mud was still soft.

There were no trees to which to hang their hammocks, but the ground was
smooth and dry, and they could sleep well enough upon it. They would
not be troubled with the bats, as these creatures keep mostly in the
dark shadowy places of the forest; and snakes would not likely be found
out on the bare ground. They thought they would there be safer from
jaguars, too. In fact, it was from these considerations that they had
chosen the place for their camp. They could go to the woods for an
armful or two of sticks to cook supper with, and that would suffice.

The balza was brought close in on the upper side of the promontory, so
as to be out of the current; and then all landed and made their
preparations for passing the night. Guapo marched off with his axe to
get some firewood, and Leon accompanied him to assist in carrying it.
They had not far to go--only a hundred yards or so, for up at the end of
the promontory the forest began, and there were both large trees and
underwood.

As they walked forward one species of trees caught their attention.
They were palm-trees, but of a sort they had not yet met with. They
were very tall, with a thick, globe-shaped head of pinnate, plume-like
leaves. But what rendered these trees peculiar was the stem. It was
slender in proportion to the height of the tree, and was thickly covered
with long needle-shaped spines, not growing irregularly, but set in
bands, or rings, around the tree. This new palm was the "pupunha," or
"peach-palm," as it is called, from the resemblance which its fruits
bear to peaches. It is also nam