during the dry season. It was separated
from the river only by a narrow tongue of land, 80 ft. high.

I took careful and repeated observations for latitude, longitude, and
altitude, the latter by a boiling-point thermometer, from our point of
departure at the headwaters of the Arinos River. The elevation of the
river was there 1,200 ft. by aneroid, 1,271 ft. by the hypsometrical
apparatus. The latitude was 14 deg. 2'.2 South; the longitude 56 deg. 17' West of
Greenwich.

We were having beautiful, clear skies. Only on July 4th at sunset a
solitary streak of mist extended to the summit of the sky.

I had two plans in my mind when I decided to descend the
Arinos River. One was to abandon that river at the point where it met
the Juruena River and strike across country westward until the
Madeira-Mamore Railway was met. The other plan--even more difficult--was
to continue down the river as far as its junction with the Tres Barras,
from which place I would strike across the virgin forest as far as the
Madeira River. I had not the faintest idea how I could realize either
plan with the ridiculously meagre resources at my disposal. I had money
enough, but unfortunately that was one of the few spots on earth where
money was of little use. Again I trusted in Providence to come to our
help. Both plans involved thousands of kilometres of navigation of a
diabolical river, in an almost uncontrollable canoe, with an
insufficient and absolutely incapable crew. Then would come the crossing
of the virgin forest on foot, for some hundreds of kilometres--nobody
knew how many. The least number of men necessary in order to be able to
carry provisions sufficient to execute either plan was thirty. I only had
four. Yet I started. The second plan was successfully carried out, but
necessarily at the cost almost of all our lives, and with sufferings
unimaginable.

CHAPTER II

Hoisting the British Flag--An Escaped Slave--A
Dilemma--Benedicto--The _Lutra Brasiliensis_--The Seringueiros--A
Marvellous River--Rapids

ON July 6th we packed the canoe with our baggage and dogs. The British
flag was hoisted at the stern of the canoe, and with tender embraces from
the seringueiros, whose eyes were wet with tears--they imagined that we
were going to certain death--we pulled out of Porto Velho at seven
minutes to eleven o'clock a.m.

"We will pray with all our hearts that you may reach the end of your
journey safely!... Beware o