The Village Had Evidently
Been Newly Formed, And Consisted Of A Single Straight Street Of
Very Miserable Huts Totally Deficient In Every Comfort, And As
Bare And Cheerless Inside As Out.
It was situated on a little
elevated patch of coarse gravelly soil, covered with the usual
high rigid grass, which came up close to the backs of the houses.
At a short distance in several directions were patches of forest,
but all on low and swampy ground.
I made one attempt along the
only path I could find, but soon came upon a deep mud-hole, and
found that I must walk barefoot if at all; so I returned and
deferred further exploration till after breakfast. I then went on
into the jungle and found patches of sago-palms and a low forest
vegetation, but the paths were everywhere full of mud-holes, and
intersected by muddy streams and tracts of swamp, so that walking
was not pleasurable, and too much attention to one's steps was
not favourable to insect catching, which requires above
everything freedom of motion. I shot a few birds, and caught a
few butterflies, but all were the same as I had already obtained
about Cajeli.
On my return to the village I was told that the same kind of
ground extended for many miles in every direction, and I at once
decided that Wayapo was not a suitable place to stay at. The next
morning early we waded back again through the mud and long wet
grass to our boat, and by mid-day reached Cajeli, where I waited
Ali's return to decide on my future movements.
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