Page:The naturalist on the River Amazons 1863 v2.djvu/191

 channels, each about a mile in breadth. We kept to the southernmost of these, travelling all day on the 30th April along a high and rather sloping bank.

In the evening we arrived at a narrow opening, which would be taken by a stranger navigating the main channel for the outlet of some insignificant stream: it was the mouth of the Teffé, on whose banks Ega is situated, the termination of our voyage. After having struggled for thirty-five days with the muddy currents and insect pests of the Solimoens, it was unspeakably refreshing to find one's-self again in a dark-water river, smooth as a lake and free from Pium and Motúca. The rounded outline, small foliage, and sombre green of the woods, which seemed to rest on the glassy waters, made a pleasant contrast to the tumultuous piles of rank, glaring, light-green vegetation, and torn, timber-strewn banks to which we had been so long accustomed on the main river. The men rowed lazily until nightfall, when, having done a laborious day's work, they discontinued and went to sleep, intending to make for Ega in the morning. It was not thought worth while to secure the vessel to the trees or cast anchor, as there was no current. I sat up for two or three hours after my companions had gone to rest, enjoying the solemn calm of the night. Not a breath of air stirred; the sky was of a deep blue, and the stars seemed to stand forth in sharp relief; there was no sound of life in the woods, except the occasional melancholy note of some nocturnal bird. I reflected on my own wandering life: I had now reached the end of the third stage of my journey,