A Hundred Miles in Ten Days

           Generally,travelersorramblersinthewoods,whohavesleptintheforestsunderthelovelystars,areawakenedbyhowlingsasfantasticasdisagreeable.Thereiseverythinginthismorningconcert:clucking,grunting,croaking,sneering,barking,andalmost"speaking,"ifonemaymakeuseofthisword,whichcompletestheseriesofdifferentnoises.

           Therearethemonkeyswhothussalutethedaybreak.Therewemeetthelittle"marikina,"themarmosetwithaspeckledmask;the"monogris,"theskinofwhichtheIndiansusetorecoverthebatteriesoftheirguns;the"sagous,"recognizablefromtheirlongbunchesofhair,andmanyothers,specimensofthisnumerousfamily.

           Ofthesevariousfour-handedanimals,themostremarkablearedecidedlythe"gueribas,"withcurlingtailsandafacelikeBeelzebub.Whenthesunrises,theoldestoftheband,withanimposingandmysteriousvoice,singsamonotonouspsalm.Itisthebaritoneofthetroop.Theyoungtenorsrepeatafterhimthemorningsymphony.TheIndianssaythenthatthe"gueribas"recitetheirpater-nosters.

           But,onthisday,itseemedthatthemonkeysdidnotoffertheirprayer,fornooneheardthem;and,meanwhile,theirvoiceisloud,foritisproducedbytherapidvibrationofakindofbonydrum,formedbyaswellingofthehyoidesboneintheneck.

           Inshort,foronereasonorforanother,neitherthe"gueribas,"northe"sagous,"noranyotherfour-handedanimalsofthisimmenseforest,sang,onthismorning,theirusualconcert.

           ThiswouldnothavesatisfiedthewanderingIndians.