withstanding the trouble we had in following it, owing to the
dense vegetation near the water--rather than strike once more across
country. They were beginning to lose heart altogether, when I told them I
could see by the vegetation that we were once more near the water.
Anybody accustomed as I am to marching through the forest could tell
easily by the appearance of the vegetation some miles before actually
getting to a stream.

I reassured my companions, saying that within a few hours we should
certainly meet the "big water" again. In fact, not more than half an hour
afterwards we suddenly found ourselves once more on the large stream--at
that point 70 metres wide.

My men were so amazed and delighted that they embraced me and sobbed over
my shoulders for some time. From that moment their admiration for the
compass was unbounded; they expected me to find anything with it.

With gladdened hearts we followed the stream again, Benedicto and
Filippe shouting at the top of their voices for help in case anybody were
near. But they called and called in vain. We listened, but not a sound
could be heard, except perhaps that of a crashing tree in the forest--a
sound very familiar when marching across Brazil.

The right bank of the Secundury river was high, not less than from 30 to
40 ft., and extremely steep, formed of alluvial deposits with a thick
surface layer of decayed vegetation, making a soft carpet. Two small
tributary streams had cut deep grooves in the soft earth. In our weak
condition we had the greatest trouble in going down the almost vertical
banks and climbing up again on the other side.

On September 16th we followed the river once more, crossing three
tributaries, the largest of which was 4 m. wide. The forest was
beautifully clean underneath, just like a well-kept park. The stems of
the trees were as clean as possible up to a great height, the foliage
forming a regular roof over us through which little light and only
exhausted air penetrated.

Although we could find nothing whatever to eat, my men were not so
depressed that day, as they expected to find some living people sooner or
later. I did not like to disappoint them, although the fact that we could
find no signs of human creatures having recently gone through that region
showed me plainly that we were yet far away from salvation.

Another formidable rainstorm came down upon us in the morning, the water
descending in regular sheets. We were so exhau