ig monkey, with the most human face
I have ever seen on a quadruman--just like a negro's countenance. It came
very near us in its curiosity to see what we were doing, and, though shot
at several times, remained there watching us, as it had never heard the
report of a rifle before. When it fell down it put its hand on the wound
across its chest and cried just like a child. I moved away while my men
banged it on the head to finish it off.

[Illustration: Author's Canoe being made to travel across the
Forest.]

After a hearty breakfast on the part of my men--my own being limited to a
small box of sardines, some twenty or thirty boxes still remaining in my
supply of provisions--we resumed our journey down the troublesome rapid.
We had to do that with ropes, Alcides, with his extraordinary way of
thinking, actually going to the trouble of shifting a big rock out of
the water, which took him the best part of an hour, rather than let the
canoe go round it--in absolutely placid waters in that particular spot. I
let him do it rather than have a quarrel, as I firmly believed that in
consequence of the great hardships his brain had slightly lost its
balance.

After that, strong eddies were again experienced at first, but, for some
3,000 m. beyond, the water looked beautiful and as placid as possible.
The river was now flowing mostly in a northerly direction or with slight
deviations, chiefly to the east. We came to a most wonderful island with
a spur of lava on its southern side, in the shape of a dome, and highly
glazed. On each side of that island was a waterfall of some beauty. The
eastern channel was only 20 m. wide, and the water fell over a wall of
rock some 12 ft. high. Where this wall projected above the foaming water
the shiny black carbonized rock showed a number of small grottoes in its
horizontal strata, and a number of funnels like volcanic vents. The
north-westerly and broader channel had three successive rapids, the
central one some 101/2 ft. high, with a terrific current rushing over it,
and awe-inspiring whirlpools between the successive rapids.

We took the canoe down by the central channel, and when we got to the
higher step, shoved her along until she overhung the fall--as we had done
the previous day--and then let her drop down with a bump. It was a
difficult job to hold her when once she had dropped down, as the waves
below were very high and tossed her about in a merciless manner.

My men had by this ti