came to another ideal
island--Margherita Island--400 m. long and 200 m. wide, with magnificent
trees upon it. A small stream joined the Arinos on the left side. Lower
down stream we had thin forest on both sides, with some remarkable _oleo_
trees, with their minute grey leaves and the branches, laden with red
berries, drooping--weeping-willow-like--right down in the water.

Next we came to sand and gravel banks with islets 1 ft. high emerging
from the water in the centre of the river, all those little islets
displaying verdant grass on their southern side and pure white sand on
the northern side.

The river was at that point flowing in a N.N.E. direction. Then came a
long straight line of 6,000 m. of river flowing to 305 deg. b.m. About
half-way through this long stretch the stream divided into two large
arms, one in direct continuation of the above bearings, the other in a
curve, encircling an island 1,000 m. broad. The basin--as still as a
lake--in which this island was situated was not less than 1,500 m.
across. The island--Charles Landor Island--was 2,000 m. in length. It had
plenty of rubber trees upon it, and plenty were to be seen also on the
banks. We went some 8 or 10 kil. farther that night, and at five o'clock
we halted, having made poor progress that day--only 60 kil.

Immense quantities of fish could be seen in the river. No sooner had we
made camp than we got out lines and hooks of all sizes, which we baited
with pieces of _toucinho_. One end of the bigger lines we made fast to
trees, as the fish we often caught were so powerful that on several
occasions they had dragged us into the water and we lost not only the
fish but the line as well. We had great sport that night and caught
quantities of _trahira_ (_Macradon trahira_)--not unlike a giant salmon
and quite as good to eat; and also some _surubim_ (_Platystoma Lima_), a
large fish belonging to the herring family. The surubim was flat-headed,
and not unlike the pintado fish which I have described in a previous
chapter. It had thin scales over the body, and an abnormally powerful
lower jaw, with vicious-looking, sharply-pointed teeth on the edge of the
upper and lower lip. These curiously situated teeth were far apart, and
so firmly inserted in the hard lips that it took a violent blow to remove
them.

Although after a few minutes we had killed fish enough to last us--had we
been able to preserve it--for some weeks, my men sat up the greater part
of t