down one of those difficult ravines I had an accident which
might have been fatal. The ravine, the sides of which were almost
vertical, was very narrow--only about 10 m. across. We let ourselves
down, holding on to liane. When we reached the bottom we found a tiny
brook winding its way between great round boulders, and leaving a space
about 2 ft. wide for the water. I proceeded up on the other side, and I
had got up to a height of some 30 ft. In order to go up this steep
incline I had placed one foot against a small tree while I was pulling
myself up by a liana. Unluckily, the liana suddenly gave way. The weight
of the load which I had on my shoulders made me lose my balance, so that
my body described an entire semicircle. I dropped down head first from
that height on the rocks below.

[Illustration: Trading Boats landing Balls of Rubber, River Tapajoz.]

Providence once more looked after me on that occasion. On the flight down
I already imagined myself dead; but no--my head entered the cavity
between the two rocks against which my shoulders and the load became
jammed, while my legs were struggling up in mid-air. I was forced so hard
against the two side rocks that I could not possibly extricate myself. It
was only when Benedicto and the new man came to my help and pulled me out
that we were able to resume our journey--I much shaken and somewhat
aching, but otherwise none the worse for that unpleasant fall.

On September 26th my two men were already complaining of their loads.
They said they could not go on any more--the man in good health and full
of strength rebelling more than poor Benedicto, who was in a weak
condition. So that we might march quickly I decided to abandon one bag of
flour and eight tins of salt butter. With the lighter loads we marched
comparatively well, and went 22 kil. that day with no particular
experience worth noticing.

On September 27th we started once more quite early, after a hearty
breakfast--notwithstanding the pain which I always had whenever I ate,
especially a stabbing pain in my heart which was almost unbearable at
times. We crossed several streamlets, one fairly large, all of which
flowed into the Secundury. Rain, which came down in torrents, greatly
interfered with our march that day, the new man I had employed worrying
me all the time, saying that he did not like to march in wet clothes.
Benedicto and I could not help laughing at him, as we had not been dry
one moment since the