of his own wheel, and all the wheels were joined to one another; and the whole pendent fabric hung by fine ropes from the wire above, and was in some cases steadied by guy-ropes, thrown thirty feet off to little trees alongside.  I watched them until nightfall, and evidently, to them, after their day’s rest, their day’s work had just begun.  Next morning—­owing to a desire to find out what the facts were as regards the ox-carts, which were in difficulties—­Cherrie, Miller, Kermit, and I walked back to the Burity River, where Colonel Rondon had spent the night.  It was a misty, overcast morning, and the spiders in the webs that hung from the telegraph-wire were just going to their day homes.  These were in and under the big white china insulators on the telegraph-poles.  Hundreds of spiders were already climbing up into these.  When, two or three hours later, we returned, the sun was out, and not a spider was to be seen.

Here we had to cut down our baggage and rearrange the loads for the mule-train.  Cherrie and Miller had a most workmanlike equipment, including a very light tent and two light flies.  One fly they gave for the kitchen use, one fly was allotted to Kermit and me, and they kept only the tent for themselves.  Colonel Rondon and Lyra went in one tent, the doctor and Oliveira in another.  Each of us got rid of everything above the sheer necessities.  This was necessary because of the condition of the baggage-animals.  The oxen were so weak that the effort to bring on the carts had to be abandoned.  Nine of the pack-mules had already been left on the road during the three days’ march from Utiarity.  In the first expeditions into this country all the baggage animals had died; and even in our case the loss was becoming very heavy.  This state of affairs is due to the scarcity of forage and the type of country.  Good grass is scanty, and the endless leagues of sparse, scrubby forest render it exceedingly difficult to find the animals when they wander.  They must be turned absolutely loose to roam about and pick up their scanty subsistence, and must be given as long a time as possible to feed and rest; even under these conditions most of them grow weak when, as in our case, it is impossible to carry corn.  They cannot be found again until after daylight, and then hours must be spent in gathering them; and this means that the march must be made chiefly during the heat of the day, the most trying time.  Often some of the animals would not be brought in until so late that it was well on in the forenoon, perhaps midday, before the bulk of the pack-train started; and they reached the camping-place as often after night fall as before it.  Under such conditions many of the mules and oxen grew constantly weaker and ultimately gave out; and it was imperative to load them as lightly as possible, and discard all luxuries, especially heavy or bulky luxuries.  Travelling through a wild country where there is little food for man or beast is beset with difficulties almost inconceivable to the man who does not himself know this kind of wilderness, and especially to the man who only knows the ease of civilization.  A scientific party of some size, with the equipment necessary in order to do scientific work, can only go at all if the men who actually handle the problems of food and transportation do their work thoroughly.