dy that, had it not been for its great breadth, one would have felt as
if going through a watercourse in England.

From the east came a little tributary, 2 m. wide, on the right bank.
Another beautiful island, 500 m. long and 80 m. wide--Helena Island--a
most enchanting place, preceded by the usual gravel mounds and beach, was
passed in the afternoon. Small streamlets entered the main stream, one on
each side--one 6 kils. beyond Helena Island, the other one a little
farther.

The river maintained its average width of 200 m. nearly all the time.
Late in the afternoon we passed on the left bank a hill 120 ft. high,
belonging to a range that extended from E.S.E. to W.N.W. at an angle to
the river, which there flowed in a direction almost north. There was
plenty of rubber of excellent quality near the water.

Shortly after leaving this range we came to a lagoon, then to open
campos behind a thin row of stunted trees on the left bank. The lagoon
was situated at a point where the river described a curve from north to
70 deg. b.m. Two small streamlets entered the Arinos on the right. We made
camp near a small lagoon in the forest shortly after sunset.

The distance we had travelled during the last two days was 86 kil. 900 m.
on July 11th, and 76 kil. 600 m. on July 12th, or altogether 163 kil. 500
m.

To anybody accustomed to travelling in equatorial countries it seems
amazing, on returning to civilization, to find what curious notions
people have of the tropical forest. Even in the case of writers of
distinction I could quote many passages which are painfully ridiculous.
One of the greatest modern Italian writers, for instance--who, by the
way, in one of his latest novels, copied almost word for word many pages
from my books--added the poetic touch that in the tropical forest flowers
were found so large that they could not be picked, and fruit so enormous
that no human tooth could bite it! Again, the majority of people believe
that it is impossible to go through the forest without cutting your way
all the time--the "cutting a way through" meaning to most people the
constant chopping down of trees of all sizes, undergrowth, bamboos,
_liane_, and other creepers. As a matter of fact, any experienced
traveller has much less trouble in going through the forest than people
imagine. This is not the case with people unacquainted with the forest,
or with people whose sense of observation is not much developed. One can
go sometime