mperature during the night (July 8th-9th) had been 57 deg.
Fahr. The elevation above the sea level of Lucky Island was 1,100 ft.

The River dos Patos came from the S.S.E., then bent to the east where its
sources were.

Lucky Island was 250 m. in length. The river had an average width of 80
m. As we went along my men sang gaily, particularly X, who seemed like a
bird let out of its cage, so happy did he feel at being a free man again.
His repertoire was not of the choicest kind, but what was lacking in
quality was made up in quantity. For some hours we were treated to a
vocal concert, X's solos sending my men into fits of merriment. His
wit--of the crudest kind--was sometimes funny.

This great gaiety seemed most weird in that region where silence reigned
supreme always. The voices seemed to travel immense distances, echoed
from one side to the other of the river. Words were reproduced with great
clearness by the echo two or three times over. Especially when we had
forest on both sides of the stream was the echo particularly perfect.

Quantities of rubber trees--absolutely going to waste--were to be seen
now on one side, then on the other, of the river where the banks were
wooded.

[Illustration: A Rapid on the Arinos River.]

[Illustration: Taking the Canoe through a Narrow Channel.]

Another most beautiful island, 800 m. long and 80 m. wide--Pedro de
Toledo Island--was passed. It had a channel 10 m. wide in a
north-westerly direction, another, which we followed, 50 m. broad,
north-east. On emerging from this channel at the end of the island we
were in a basin 140 m. in diameter. Some 3 kils. farther, another great
basin was crossed--very shallow, only 2 ft. deep--with a gravel bottom.
The current was swift. Then, 2 kils. beyond, yet another basin, 100
metres wide, 11/2 ft. deep, with strong eddies, was crossed. The river,
which had so far kept more or less in a northerly direction, at that
point actually swung round in two consecutive angles from 350 deg. north
to due south, in which direction it flowed for 1,000 m. An immaculately
white beach was on the right of us, on which we duly stranded. It was
quite enough for Alcides to see an obstacle of any kind in the river for
him to send the canoe right over it. I seized that opportunity to land
and commence a most interesting collection of the innumerable minute sand
plants which were to be found on those beaches.

Where the river turned north once more there stoo