the accident, and one of
my sextants was soaked to such an extent that it took me the best part of
two hours to clean it all up again. I saved the negatives which were in
the damaged camera by developing them at once during the night while they
were still wet.

My men were greatly excited over the accident, especially the two who had
fallen into the water. In a way I was glad it had happened, as I was in
hopes it might be a good lesson to them and they might be a little more
careful in the future. Had Alcides obeyed my orders we should have gone
through safely. I pointed that out to him, but it was no use; even then
he maintained that in order to be safe you must steer right into the
whirlpool and not out of it--which really made me begin to feel rather
nervous, as I fully expected, as we went along, to find worse rapids than
those we had negotiated so far, since we still had to get down from 1,000
ft. or so to the sea level.

We halted for the remainder of the day. I spent a miserable night
sleeping on the packing-boxes, now that my bed had gone for ever. I did
not deserve that bit of ill-luck, for indeed my camp-bed was the only
thing I possessed which gave me a little comfort. After working hard all
day and the greater part of the night, a few hours spent lying down flat
on the stretched canvas of the bed were most enjoyable; although never,
throughout the entire journey, was I able to sleep soundly, as I always
had to be on the alert, never knowing what might happen.

[Illustration: A Cataract in the River Arinos.]

[Illustration: Author's Canoe among Great Volcanic Rocks.]

The night of July 22nd was fairly cool, the minimum temperature being 58 deg.
F. When we proceeded on our journey in the morning we passed an island
1,500 m. long--Arabella Island. The river was now flowing due west. Again
we came upon rocks in the centre and upon the right side of the river,
with a strong _corrideira_ and with dangerous submerged rocks close to
the surface. There was an islet 150 m. long on the right side in a basin
500 m. broad. A hill 100 ft. high stood on the left side of the stream,
while a hill range 300 ft. high was now visible to the W.N.W.

We had little time to admire the beautiful scenery, for we soon found
ourselves upon another great barrier with a terrible-looking rapid. I
asked my men if they preferred to shoot it, as the exertion of loading
and unloading the canoe was certainly heavy.

"No, no, no, no!" th