ally covered with _carrapatinhos_, and set to
scratch myself so violently that nothing short of digging my nails into
my skin seemed to relieve the irritation--and that, mind you, only
momentarily. One had to bear it, and wait until one got to camp in the
evening before one could disinfect oneself all over. In this world one
never gets credit for anything, but I do think that few men under those
circumstances would have gone on, as I did, collecting botanical
specimens for no reward whatever except my own pleasure, if pleasure it
can be called.

Again we noticed that day wonderful effects of clouds in filaments, one
group stretching along the sky in an arc from north to east like the
dorsal bone and ribs of an immense fish.

We camped on the bank of a stream (elev. 1,050 ft.) flowing north-east,
which was, I think, the same stream we had met in the morning, and which
had described a big turn.

My men amused me with their fears. Even when in camp they never left
their rifles for a moment. When they went only a few yards away, either
to fetch water or bring back a mule, they invariably took all their
weapons with them--carbines, automatic pistols, and daggers.

In order to collect specimens and examine the country, I sometimes
strayed away alone for long distances from camp--sometimes for two or
three hours at a time--always absolutely unarmed. My men began to be
thoroughly frightened of the immunity I possessed from attacks of wild
beasts and Indians. Although I told them that wild beasts never attacked
human beings unless attacked first, and that there were no Indians about,
my men would not believe me. They maintained that I must have some
special secret of my own which brought me back alive, and that I must be
even bullet-proof. They could never be induced to go alone--even when
armed--for more than a few metres from camp.

We were having cool nights. Minimum 59 deg. Fahr., maximum 80 deg. Fahr.--on May
17th. A mackerel sky of the prettiest design was overhead, like a lovely
mosaic of white and blue porcelain, while a band of clear blue encircled
us all around above the horizon line.

Across a forest we continued our journey, rising some 300 ft. to 1,350
ft. above the sea level, where we again found campos and forest
alternately upon deep masses of fine red sand or else great expanses of
grey and black volcanic cinders intermixed in patches. On reaching the
highest elevation we actually went over 6 kil. of volca