s. Brazilians have a great greed for
money, and for it they will do many things which they would not do
otherwise.

On September 14th we made another most painful march of 20 kil., again up
and down high hills, some as much as 300 ft. above the level land of that
country, and all with steep, indeed, almost vertical, sides, extremely
difficult for us to climb in our exhausted condition. We saw several
streamlets flowing west. When evening came we had before us a high hill,
which we ascended. When we reached the top we just lay upon the ground
like so many corpses, and, ants, or no ants biting us, we had not the
energy to get up again. Once more did the rain come down in torrents that
night, and to a certain extent washed the ants from our bodies.

My surprise was really great the next morning when I woke up. I felt
myself fading away fast. Every time I closed my eyes I expected never to
open them again.

On September 15th we made another trying march, collapsing under our
loads every few hundred metres. My men were constantly looking for
something to eat in all directions, but could find nothing. Benedicto and
Filippe were now all the time contemplating suicide. The mental strain of
perpetually keeping an eye on them was great.

We were sitting down, too tired to get up, when Filippe amazed me
considerably by the following words, which he spoke in a kind of reverie:

"It would be very easy," he said, "now that you have no more strength
yourself, for us two to get the big knife and cut your throat. We know
that you have a big, big sum of money upon you, and if we robbed you we
would be rich for ever. But we do not want to do it. It would not be much
use to us, as we could not get out of the forest alone. I believe we
shall all die together, and all that money will go to waste."

Filippe said this in quite a good-natured manner. The two poor fellows
were so depressed that one had to forgive them for anything they said.

As the river seemed to describe a big loop, I had left it three days
before, seeing plainly by the conformation of the country that we should
strike it again sooner or later. We were marching once more by compass.
My men, who had no faith whatever in the magnetic needle, were again
almost paralysed with fear that we might not encounter the stream again.
A thousand times a day they accused me of foolishness in leaving the
river, as they said it would have been better to follow its tortuous
course--not