Page:The naturalist on the River Amazons 1863 v1.djvu/226

 laden, and when, after rounding a point, I saw the great breadth we had to traverse, seven miles, I thought the attempt to cross in such a slight vessel foolhardy in the extreme. The waves ran very high: there was no rudder; Raimundo steered with a paddle, and all we had to rely upon to save us from falling into the trough of the sea and being instantly swamped were his nerve and skill. There was just room in the boat for our three selves, the dogs, and the game we had killed, and whenever we fell in the hollow of a sea our instant destruction seemed inevitable; as it was, we shipped a little water now and then. Joaquim assisted with his paddle to steady the boat: my time was fully occupied in baling out the water and watching the dogs, which were crowded together in the prow, yelling with fear; one or other of them occasionally falling over the side and causing great commotion in scrambling in again. Off the point was a ridge of rocks, over which the surge raged furiously. Raimundo sat at the stern, rigid and silent; his eye steadily watching the prow of the boat. It was almost worth the risk and discomfort of the passage to witness the seamanlike ability displayed by Indians on the water. The little boat rode beautifully, rising well with each wave, and in the course of an hour and a half we arrived at Caripí, thoroughly tired and wet through to the skin.

I will here make a few observations regarding the Paca and the Cutía, although there is little to relate of their habits in addition to what is contained in natural history books. The Paca is the Cœlogenys Paca of zoologists, and the Cutía the Dasyprocta Aguti, or a