We had started at about six in the morning; towards five in the afternoon Leal began to cast his eyes about in search of a nice, dry, sandy beach upon which to pitch our camp for the night. So far we had always found some house or hut to sleep in; now, for the first time, we were faced by the necessity of camping in the open air without any roof whatever above our heads. We experienced a peculiar sensation of unwarranted fear--a dread arising, doubtless, from the force of habit in the civilized man, naturally averse to imitating the birds and the beasts, which sleep under God's heaven and run all risks; but whatever our feelings, we were forced to accept the inevitable.
As soon as a satisfactory strip of beach was found, we jumped ashore. The canoes were dragged halfway out of the water, and tied with stout ropes to neighbouring trees to prevent their being carried away in case of an unexpected flood--by no means an impossible contingency. The men took out the mats upon which we were to sleep, and as there were swarms of the mosquitoes, sand-flies, and numerous insects which make life a burden in the early hours of the night on the shores of these rivers, the mosquito-bars, made of cotton cloth, were rigged up over the mats.
Fermin, who had been promoted to the rank of private cook for Alex, Raoul, and myself, prepared our supper, making use of the saucepans and sundry implements contained in our travelling basket. To prepare their meals, the men used a huge iron pot, which was soon tilted over a large fire.
We were four days on the river Tua punting or paddling, according to the depth of water. When we reached the river Meta, we had already arranged the daily routine best suited to our requirements, and I might as well, once for all, describe it.
Our acting chief, Leal, ever watchful and alert, wakened us at about three in the morning. Every man had his appointed task: two of them prepared the indispensable coffee in the fashion of the land; others folded up the mats, the mosquito-bars, and whatever else might have been landed. Alex, Raoul, and I would in the meantime stand on the river brink, whilst two of the men poured upon us small cataracts of water drawn from the river in the _coyabras_ or _totumas_ cut from native gourds, which form an indispensable part of the domestic arrangements in the _llanos_. It would have been sheer madness to bathe in the river, with its _rayas_, or water-snakes, or perhaps some shy, dissembling alligator in quest of a tasty morsel.