he leaves was of a
delicate white, deepening in colour through every shade of rose to the
deepest crimson, and then fading again to a creamy-yellowish tint at the
heart. Many of the leaves were five feet and upwards in diameter, and
perfectly smooth on the upper surface, with an upright edge of an inch
to two inches all the way round. We managed, though not without
difficulty, to pull up some stalks, and found them covered with long
sharp spines. The construction of the leaf was very curious, it being
supported below by a number of ribs projecting from the stalk, and
giving it greater buoyancy and strength. One of the boatmen, plunging
down, brought up a young leaf from the bottom. It had the form of a
deep cup or vase, and on examining it we discovered the embryo ribs, and
could see how, as they grew, their ramifications stretched out in every
direction, the leaf letting out one by one its little folds to fill the
ever-widening spaces. At last, when it reaches the surface of the
water, its pan-like form rests horizontally above it without a wrinkle.
This beautiful lily, then unknown to science, has since been called the
Victoria Regia.

Nothing could exceed the beauty of this calm lake, covered for a
considerable distance with these magnificent flowers. Among the lilies
appeared a variety of other water-plants, some gracefully bending over
like bamboos, others with large deep serrated leaves, while the
different forest trees in varied forms rose round us, fringed by a broad
band of feathery grass. Several trees floated on the borders covered
with water-fowl, among which were many ducks and ciganas, while amid the
lofty branches of the living forest flew numerous macaws of a red,
green, and yellow species, and one of the small flock of the still more
beautiful blue macaw, appeared to add their lovely tints to the
landscape. Such was the scenery through which we passed during the
greater part of the day. Had we felt sure about the safety of our
family, how much more should we have enjoyed it. Our anxiety again
increased. We had good reason to be anxious about ourselves. Our stock
of provisions was almost exhausted; all our luxuries except coffee had
come to an end, and of that we had very little, while we had only a
small supply of farinha remaining.

We encamped at the end of our day's voyage through that labyrinth of
canals on the only spot we could find free from trees, the rising waters
having covered