Black, Howling
Monkeys, With Long Beards And Grave Countenances, Leapt Among The
Trees.
Red and blue macaws screeched overhead, and many a large
serpent received its death-blow from our machetes.
Sometimes we were
fortunate enough to secure a bees' nest full of honey, or find
luscious fruit. At times I stopped to admire a giant tree, eight or
ten feet in diameter, or orchids of the most delicate hues, but the
passage was hard and trying, and the stagnant air most difficult to
breathe. The fallen tree-trunks, over which we had to step, or go
around or under, were very numerous, and sometimes we landed in a
bed, not of roses, but of thorns. Sloths and strange birds' nests
hung from the trees, while the mosquitos and insects made life almost
unendurable. We were covered with carapatas, bruised and torn, and
almost eaten up alive with insects.
[Illustration: PARAGUAYAN FOREST INDIAN. These dwarf men use a very
long bow, while the Patagonian uses a short one]
Under the spreading branches of one of the largest trees we came upon
an abandoned Indian camp. This, I was told, had belonged to the
"little men of the woods," hairy dwarfs, a few of whom inhabit the
depths of the forest, and kill their game with blow-pipes. Of course
we saw none of the poor creatures. Their scent is as keen as an
animal's; they are agile as monkeys, and make off to hide in the
hollow trunks of trees, or bury themselves in the decaying vegetation
until danger is past.
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