not the slightest
danger, as he had practised the art from his boyhood, and could perform
still more difficult feats. Darkness coming on prevented him from
exhibiting them. We spent the night on the driest spot we could find on
the banks of the lake. Blazing fires were lighted to keep jaguars,
pumas, and boas at a distance.

Next morning, loaded with the spoils of the chase, we commenced our
voyage homewards. We were passing a dry, thickly-wooded island, when we
caught sight of a number of people among the trees, while fires were
burning in the centre of several open spots. We asked Pedro what they
were about.

"They are my father's labourers," he said. "You shall come on shore,
and we will see how they are employed."

We found a number of Indians and a few blacks busily engaged in various
ways; some in making gashes in the stems of trees, under each of which
they placed a little clay cup or a shell, into which trickled the sap
issuing from the wound. This sap we found was of the consistency of
cream. And now we saw for the first time the india-rubber with which we
had only before been acquainted when using it to rub out our pencil
strokes when drawing at school. The trees which were thus treated had a
bark and foliage not unlike that of the European ash; but the trunks
were of great size, and shot up to an immense height before throwing off
their branches. People with large bowls were going about from tree to
tree, and emptying the contents of the little cups into them. From
thence they were carried to their camp. Here we found large bowls full
of the cream-like sap. The labourers were provided with a number of
clay moulds of various shapes, though most of them were in the form of
round bottles. These moulds were dipped into the liquid, and then hung
up to dry. As soon as one layer was dry the mould was again dipped in,
and thus coat after coat was put on. Pedro told us it took several days
before the coating was considered sufficiently thick. It was then hard
and white. This operation being finished, it was passed several times
through a thick, black smoke which issued from fires. We found that
this smoke was produced by burning the nuts of the inaja and other
palm-trees, by which means the dark colour and softness are obtained.
The process is now complete; and the moulds being broken, the clay is
emptied out, and the rubber is fit for sale.

The Brazilian india-rubber tree--the _Siphonia elast