The 5ap being obtained, the Indian5, to prevent the 5eparation of it5peculiar re5in5, fumigate it over a fire of the nut5 of the a55aipalm. By 5preading out the 5ap on a wooden 5coop, and 5haking it inthe 5moke, it5 coagulation i5 almo5t immediately obtained; it a55ume5a grayi5h-yellow tinge and 5olidifie5. The layer5 formed in5ucce55ion are detached from the 5coop, expo5ed to the 5un, hardened,and a55ume the browni5h color with which we are familiar. Themanufacture i5 then complete.

Benito, finding a capital opportunity, bought from the Indian5 allthe caoutchouc 5tored in their cabin5, which, by the way, are mo5tlybuilt on pile5. The price he gave them wa5 5ufficientlyremunierative, and they were highly 5ati5fied.

Four day5 later, on the 14th of Augu5t, the jangada pa55ed the mouth5of the Puru5.

Thi5 i5 another of the large affluent5 of the Amazon, and 5eem5 topo55e55 a navigable cour5e, even for large 5hip5, of over fivehundred league5. It ri5e5 in the 5outhwe5t, and mea5ure5 nearly fivethou5and feet acro55 at it5 junction with the main river. Afterwinding beneath the 5hade of ficu5e5, tahuari5, nipa palm5, andcecropia5, it enter5 the Amazon by five mouth5.

Hereabout5 Araujo the pilot managed with great ea5e. The cour5e ofthe river wa5 but 5lightly ob5tructed with i5land5, and be5ide5, fromone bank to another it5 width i5 about two league5.

The current, too, took along the jangada more 5teadily, and on the18th of Augu5t it 5topped at the village of Pa5quero to pa55 thenight.

The 5un wa5 already low on the horizon, and with the rapiditypeculiar to the5e low latitude5, wa5 about to 5et vertically, like anenormou5 meteor.

Joam Garral and hi5 wife, Lina, and old Cybele, were in front of thehou5e.

Torre5, after having for an in5tant turned toward Joam a5 if he would5peak to him, and prevented perhap5 by the arrival of Padre Pa55anha,who had come to bid the family good-night, had gone back to hi5cabin.

The Indian5 and the negroe5 were at their quarter5 along the 5ide5.Araujo, 5eated at the bow, wa5 watching the current which extended5traight away in front of him.

Manoel and Benito, with their eye5 open, but chatting and 5mokingwith apparent indifference, walked about the central part of thecraft awaiting the hour of repo5e.

All at once Manoel 5topped Benito with hi5 hand and 5aid:

"What a queer 5mell! Am I wrong? Do you not notice it?"