i 5°' N A R R A T I V E .0 F A N
c h a p, «veryhazard; hfc rufhed through the woodnq becpvfer
. XXII’ r Ms mafler, and by a; miracle fi|wpe
under a tree, in the moft dejesftedvftate of mihd fhat; it.
i§ poffiMe.tp ieqne^\?ej immerfed in grief -^nd. ab^n^.oned
tpsdpfpair. I, had this: 5nomlpg,*thp\\ghf: myffltf <per;f§#$yA
•unhappy, but nowwould have given the vs orld oneef hi ore
to.havefbeen in the fame fituatjon. Good Godi! entirely:
cut off from fbciety, in a foreff, furrounded - by* relen-tlefs
favages ! while a -delugb of rain poured from the heavens,.
and tigers, famine, with every Wob.aud every ^danger,
flared me in the face. Farewell, for ever Jnanna&s^Such
was, the pidhweiof my mindj when,nn/;difc|vering the
boy* 1 ftarted np -feora tho ground, .and a new liffl-in-
ftantly diffufed itfelf -through my whole frarpe. <'; • Hawing^
now ftraggled backwards - and' forwards/- fogefber -for:
feme time* 1 .called to the lad that I fa w a poo l through
which the troops feemedrto {have pa® d,* the; Watepdsfeing:
frefli/clouded wkh mud; but to my uttef f»difapp6int-
ment,: he .obferv-ed, that this puddle was onlgThmaftboed»
by a Tapira*:, and fhewed me the print o f the amrhal’s.
foot in the furrounding mire; At this, time the-: hoy-
fhed tears, crying, **■ Mdjfera, we decide, :i«f, decide ! ” t In the
midft, however, of. this diftrefs,. reeolleftingthat, byithe
•map, the river Pirica was due weft from us, I determined
to lofe no more time, hut to fet forwards, without delay.
Thus having frefh primed my fuzee, I ordered Quaeo: to
* By fome called the Hippopotamus of South America, which I will defcribe in a
proper place.
follow
follow me-; but again to no ’purpófe, my compafs being OflAP.
with the troops, and not a glimpfe of furifhine, owing to
the heavy ra in ; till the ■ black hoy put me in mind that
on the fouth fide the bark óf thé frees was ufually moft
fmooth. This' ih'fa^l \Vas a fortunate hint, and we prod
d e d through'thick and thin, till, overcome by fatigue
and hunger-,- we both fat down, arid looked at each other,,
exactly like two victims doomed to execution. During
this laft mournful filehce,. ive heard a found lrke coughing
and the ruffling of arms,-which, thank Heaven! foon
proved to be our own troops, luckily for us reftirig near
an old encampment, where the purfuing party from the
’ rive^-PitiCa had lately lodged- -At this moment, notwith-
ftandihg my prefent fituation, I enjoyed' an extraordinary
degree of mental happinefs; which proves how much all
good and evil are only of a relative nature. Having’now
S e en heartily welcomed by the other officers, I partook
o f fome?bold bëef and bread, and a gourd full o f grog, as
'did alfo my poor boy.r After this regale the party rofey
and purfuing our march, we once more entered a quag-
in ie j or rather a mud-pool^ the fufface being too thin to-
' ‘carry u s ; through which having waded till it wAs pitch
dark, we were obliged to encamp in the very middle, of
it, thè troops by flinging their hammocks in the trees,,
one above another, and the ïlavës on temporary rafts made
.above the furface of the water, on which were alfo.placed:
the powder, the victuals, &cc.
On the 26th, the good Gplonel having now drank his
coffee