ic.

We now had most beautiful forest on both sides. A stream 5 m. wide joined
the Arinos on the left side from the west, forming a charming little
waterfall as it entered the main stream. A little farther on the right
was another streamlet, coming from the south-east. Generally, as in this
case, when we reached tributary streams of any importance, gravel banks
extended and blocked a great part of, sometimes even half, the main
stream.

A picturesque stream, 8 m. wide, coming from the north-east, was then
reached on the right side. It flowed through a rocky gate. Five or six
kilometres farther on a tiny streamlet dribbled into the Arinos, and also
another, 1 m. wide, on the left bank.

At noon that day the sky was extraordinarily interesting. From the
north-west extended a wonderful succession of loop coils of transparent
mist, giving the sky the appearance of a peacock's extended tail.

Just before we halted for lunch we came to a charming streamlet of
delicious water, 2 m. wide, on the right bank.

The days were getting warmer as we advanced farther north. It was hot
work sitting in the sun--105 deg. F. that day--to take observations for
latitude and longitude. In the shade the thermometer registered 89 deg. F.
Lat. 12 deg. 21'.3 S.; long. 57 deg. 16' W.

After lunch, 21/2 kil. from our camp, we passed on the left bank a
delightful tributary coming from the W.S.W. Its mouth was 8 m. wide, and
poured forth waters of the most beautiful emerald green.

Five hundred metres farther down another large tributary, 30 m. wide,
coming from the north-east, was observed on the right bank. Farther
still, the river formed a large basin 300 m. wide. Lovely forest
flourished round the sweeping curve of the basin. There was simply a
solid mass of marvellously fresh foliage, with hardly a break through
which, it seemed, a human being could pass. In that particular part the
leaves came right down to the water, but there was no reason to suppose
that they grew equally low inland.

The stream, which was 250 m. broad, showed farther on an immense bank of
gravel 700 m. long, which rose above the surface in the shape of two long
islands--one 300 m., the other 400 m. in length.

We felt the heat considerably going down the river, as we were always in
the sun in the centre of the stream, with a temperature seldom less than
105 deg. F. Especially where thick forest was on both sides of us, there
seemed to be no air close to the water.