hotograph them that day. Well recognizing their immense
value, I enveloped them in my coat, which I turned into a kind of sack by
tying the sleeves together, and, with a number of vertebrae and a
knee-joint I had collected, proceeded to carry the entire load, weighing
some sixty pounds, back to camp, a mile away.

On my arrival there I met with a good deal of derision from my ignorant
men. I was faced with a problem. Had I told the men the immense value of
those fossils, I feared they might be tempted to steal them and sell them
whenever we first reached a civilized spot--which, true enough, might not
be for many months; a fact my men did not know and never for one moment
realized. If I did not tell them, I should have to stand their silly
derision as long as the journey should last--for they openly and loudly
argued among themselves the view that I had gone mad, and what better
proof could they have than my carrying a heavy load of "ugly stones" as
my personal baggage?

Of the two I came to the conclusion that derision was better than being
robbed. So I took no one into my confidence. I merely stored the fossils
carefully away in a large leather case, meaning to take them out some day
to photograph them as a precaution in case of loss. Unfortunately the
opportunity never offered itself, for we made forced marches every day,
from early morning until dark, and unpacking and repacking were very
inconvenient--each package having loops of rope fastened round, in order
to be readily attached to the saddles, which took much time and trouble
to undo. Then the ridicule of my men each time the "ugly stones" were
referred to also kept me at first from unduly attracting their attention
to them. With the many things I had to occupy my time day and night I
ended by forgetting to take the photographs--greatly owing to being
almost certain that I should bring the skulls themselves safely back to
Europe. But the unexpected always happens. We shall see later on
how--after having carried those fossils safely for several months--they
were, unknown to me, wilfully flung, together with a quantity of
provisions, into a deep part of the Arinos River by my companions, and
they were beyond recovery.

Greatly to my regret, we left that interesting spot the next morning. A
drenching rain prevented my paying a second visit to the two hillocks
where the fossil fragments were to be found, but I took the exact
position of them, so that any further