Nothing occurred of a nature to alarm us, except that
now and then a sudden rush was heard among the trees, and once a
dismal shriek startled us. Petzell tripped at one place and fell
all his length into the thicket. With this exception, we kept
well to the pathway, and in due time arrived safely at Caripi.
One of my neighbours at Murucupi was a hunter of reputation in
these parts. He was a civilised Indian, married and settled,
named Raimundo, whose habit was to sally forth at intervals to
certain productive hunting-grounds, the situation of which he
kept secret, and procure fresh provisions for his family. I had
found out by this time that animal food was as much a necessary
of life in this exhausting climate as it is in the North of
Europe. An attempt which I made to live on vegetable food was
quite a failure, and I could not eat the execrable salt-fish
which Brazilians use. I had been many days without meat of any
kind, and nothing more was to be found near Caripi, so I asked as
a favour of Senor Raimundo permission to accompany him on one of
his hunting-trips, and shoot a little game for my own use.
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