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CANELOS TO BANGS 151
to be met with, nor even a palm-leaf wherewith to
thatch a rancho. Our Indians therefore made the
roofs by tying long slender sticks across each other,
so as to form small squares, and then overlaying
them with such large leaves of terrestrial and
epiphytal Aroideae (chiefly species of Anthurium)
as they could meet with. Roofs so constructed
are not proof against heavy rains, and the leaves
soon begin to shrivel and rot. Our huts being put
up, we cooked our humble supper and lay down to
sleep. At 9 r.M. heavy rain came on and continued
without intermission till daybreak (5 A.M.) of the
27th. When we looked out in the morning we
saw that the river had risen still higher, and there
was no hope of getting across this day. Our provisions
began to run low. The Indians had drank
their last chicha, and they had all along kept
robbing me of such eatable things
keep under lock and key, so that my
as I could not
stock of salt
fowls was reduced to three, and I had only besides
a few dried plantains in a tin secured by a padlock ;
with their usual carelessness for the morrow,
they had already eaten up the large monkeys killed
at Casha-urcu, and all their provision consisted ol
a few baked plantains.
The day continued gloomy, but no more rain
fell. I sallied forth along the river-bank to see if I
could meet with anything eatable. Rude granite
blocks, often with quartz veins, and here and there
small masses of pure quartz, were so heaped up as
not to be passed without difficulty and clanger.
Among them grew scattered plants of a small
Cardamine, of which I gathered all I could find to
eat as salad. I then struck into the forest and