tudy of the laws of leverage, we managed to push up the canoe a few
inches at a time. We had some narrow escapes once or twice, when the
ropes, under the excessive strain, snapped, and the canoe slid down
again, dragging us with her. One tree, to which one of the ropes was
fastened, broke, and in its fall just missed killing a man.

When once we had begun pushing the canoe up that hill we could not leave
her for a moment, as she would at once proceed to slide back on the
rollers.

Fourteen hours' incessant hard work saw us and the canoe on the top of
the hill. From there we had before us a very steep descent of some 400
ft., the first 150 ft. almost vertical.

My men all looked at me in a most inquisitive way in order to find out
how I should manage to hold the canoe when we let her down that steep
incline.

I had fastened some pieces of wood vertically at her stern, which, by
scraping on the ground, would hold her to a certain extent. Then, with
all the ropes we possessed we made her fast to the trees as we went
along, and let her slide gently, the weight of the canoe being such that
deep grooves were actually cut into the trees as the ropes unwound
themselves.

[Illustration: Photograph showing the Road cut by Author across the
Forest in order to take the Heavy Canoe Overland.]

We were only half-way down that incline when one tree broke. The canoe
gave a leap on one side, knocking down Antonio and the man X, the jerk
immediately after breaking another tree on the opposite side. Off went
the canoe down the hill in her mad career, knocking some of us down,
dragging the others, who were holding on to her. Two or three men were
badly thrown about, but fortunately no broken bones were recorded. The
canoe by that time had, in great leaps, reached nearly the bottom of the
hill, but had got so jammed between a rock and a big tree that it
required several hours' hard work with our axes and knives in order to
disentangle her.

The shock, however, had been too great for the rickety canoe. I became
anxious, for I feared she might split in two at any time, and I had no
way of repairing her properly. When we got to the water again I patched
her up as best I could with improvised nails which I made from pieces of
hard wood. With great yells of excitement from my men we launched her
once more in the river.

My men boasted how clever they had been to take the heavy canoe over the
hill. There was really nothing Brazilians co