w returned upon me more fiercely
than ever, would not suffer me to lie thus for long, so I staggered to
my feet and walked along the bank of the river till I came to a pool of
rain water, which on the tasting, proved to be sweet and good. Then I
drank, weeping for joy at the taste of the water, drank till I could
drink no more, and let those who have stood in such a plight remember
what water was to them, for no words of mine can tell it. After I
had drunk and washed the brine from my face and body, I drew out the
remainder of my fish and ate it thankfully, and thus refreshed, cast
myself down to sleep in the shade of a bush bearing white flowers, for I
was utterly outworn.

When I opened my eyes again it was night, and doubtless I should have
slept on through many hours more had it not been for a dreadful itch and
pain that took me in every part, till at length I sprang up and cursed
in my agony. At first I was at a loss to know what occasioned this
torment, till I perceived that the air was alive with gnat-like insects
which made a singing noise, and then settling on my flesh, sucked blood
and spat poison into the wound at one and the same time. These dreadful
insects the Spaniards name mosquitoes. Nor were they the only flies, for
hundreds of other creatures, no bigger than a pin's head, had fastened
on to me like bulldogs to a baited bear, boring their heads into the
flesh, where in the end they cause festers. They are named garrapatas
by the Spanish, and I take them to be the young of the tic. Others there
were, also, too numerous to mention, and of every shape and size, though
they had this in common, all bit and all were venomous. Before the
morning these plagues had driven me almost to madness, for in no way
could I obtain relief from them. Towards dawn I went and lay in the
water, thinking to lessen my sufferings, but before I had been there ten
minutes I saw a huge crocodile rise up from the mud beside me. I sprang
away to the bank horribly afraid, for never before had I beheld so
monstrous and evil-looking a brute, to fall again into the clutches of
the creatures, winged and crawling, that were waiting for me there by
myriads.

But enough of these damnable insects!

CHAPTER XIII

THE STONE OF SACRIFICE

At length the morning broke and found me in a sorry plight, for my face
was swollen to the size of a pumpkin by the venom of the mosquitoes, and
the rest of my body was in little better case. Moreo