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We remained in this neighbourhood four days, and succeeded in obtaining many hundred turtles, but we were obliged to sleep two nights within the Carapanatuba channel.The first night passed rather pleasantly, for the weather was fine, and we encamped in the forest, making large fires and slinging our hammocks between the trees.The second was one of the most miserable nights I ever spent.The air was close, and a drizzling rain began to fall about midnight, lasting until morning.We tried at first to brave it out under the trees.Several very large fires were made, lighting up with ruddy gleams the magnificent foliage in the black shades around our encampment.The heat and smoke had the desired effect of keeping off pretty well the mosquitoes, but the rain continued until at length everything was soaked, and we had no help for it but to bundle off to the canoes with drenched hammocks and garments.There was not nearly room enough in the flotilla to accommodate so large a number of persons lying at full length; moreover the night was pitch dark, and it was quite impossible in the gloom and confusion to get at a change of clothing.So there we lay, huddled together in the best way we could arrange ourselves, exhausted with fatigue and irritated beyond all conception by clouds of mosquitoes.I slept on a bench with a sail over me, my wet clothes clinging to my body, and to increase my discomfort, close beside me lay an Indian girl, one of Cardozo's domestics, who had a skin disfigured with black diseased patches, and whose thick clothing, not having been washed during the whole time we had been out (eighteen days), gave forth a most vile effluvium.

We spent the night of the 7th of November pleasantly on the smooth sands, where the jaguars again serenaded us, and on the succeeding morning we commenced our return voyage to Ega.We first doubled the upper end of the island of Catua, and then struck off for the right bank of the Solimoens.The river was here of immense width, and the current was so strong in the middle that it required the most strenuous exertions on the part of our paddlers to prevent us from being carried miles away down the stream.At night we reached the Juteca, a small river which enters the Solimoens by a channel so narrow that a man might almost jump across it, but a furlong inwards expands into a very pretty lake several miles in circumference.We slept again in the forest, and again were annoyed by rain and mosquitoes; but this time Cardozo and I preferred remaining where we were to mingling with the reeking crowd in the boats.When the grey dawn arose a steady rain was still falling, and the whole sky had a settled, leaden appearance, but it was delightfully cool.We took our net into the lake and gleaned a good supply of delicious fish for breakfast.I saw at the upper end of this lake the native rice of this country growing wild.

The weather cleared up at ten o'clock a.m.At three p.m.we arrived at the mouth of the Cayambe, another tributary stream much larger than the Juteca.The channel of exit to the Solimoens was here also very narrow, but the expanded river inside is of vast dimensions: it forms a lake (I may safely venture to say), several score miles in circumference.Although prepared for these surprises, I was quite taken aback in this case.We had been paddling all day along a monotonous shore, with the dreary Solimoens before us, here three to four miles broad, heavily rolling onward its muddy waters.We come to a little gap in the earthy banks, and find a dark, narrow inlet with a wall of forest overshadowing it on each side; we enter it, and at a distance of two or three hundred yards a glorious sheet of water bursts upon the view.The scenery of Cayambe is very picturesque.The land, on the two sides visible of the lake, is high, and clothed with sombre woods, varied here and there with a white-washed house, in the middle of a green patch of clearing, belonging to settlers.

In striking contrast to these dark, rolling forests, is the vivid, light green and cheerful foliage of the woods on the numerous islets which rest like water-gardens on the surface of the lake.Flocks of ducks, storks, and snow-white herons inhabit these islets, and a noise of parrots with the tingling chorus of Tamburi-paras was heard from them as we passed.This has a cheering effect after the depressing stillness and absence of life in the woods on the margins of the main river.

Cardozo and I took a small boat and crossed the lake to visit one of the settlers, and on our return to our canoe, while in the middle of the lake, a squall suddenly arose in the direction towards which we were going, so that for a whole hour we were in great danger of being swamped.The wind blew away the awning and mats, and lashed the waters into foam, the waves rising to a great height.Our boat, fortunately, was excellently constructed, rising well towards the prow, so that with good steering we managed to head the billows as they arose, and escaped without shipping much water.We reached our igarite at sunset, and then made all speed to Curubaru, fifteen miles distant, to encamp for the night on the sands.We reached the praia at ten o'clock.The waters were now mounting fast upon the sloping beach, and we found on dragging the net next morning that fish was beginning to be scarce.Cardozo and his friends talked quite gloomily at breakfast time over the departure of the joyous verao, and the setting in of the dull, hungry winter season.

At nine o'clock in the morning of the 10th of November a light wind from down river sprang up, and all who had sails hoisted them.It was the first time during our trip that we had had occasion to use our sails, so continual is the calm on this upper river.We bowled along merrily, and soon entered the broad channel lying between Baria and the mainland on the south bank.

The wind carried us right into the mouth of the Teffe and at four o'clock p.m.we cast anchor in the port of Ega.