In Search of an Unknown Race — page 54: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

46 VAN. knife blade as a gentle hint to his captive not to pre- — sume on his good nature. What the possible object of this strange capture might be, Van could not for a moment imagine. He had nothing about him in the way of weapons to tempt their cupidity. The money belt worn next his skin anda stout knife in his pocket were his only possessions, excepting his wearing apparel. Nor did the Indians seem badly disposed toward him. The woman, who had rather comely features, mixed some dough and baked it over the coals in the rude stone oven. ‘This, with strips of dried turtle meat, was given Van to eat, followed by a refreshing draught of a thick, purplish beverage—the juice of the fruit of assai palm, as Van afterwards knew. As darkness came on, the woman of the house took from a pannier overhead a number of small, slender, sun-dried fish not unlike the common smelt in appear- ance, one of which, to Van’s astonishment, she pro- ceeded to light in the embers as though it were a can- dle. _ ‘The curious taper burned with a clear odorless flame when thrust in the cleft of asplit reed, consuming to the very tip of the tail, and lasting nearly half an hour. Van was made to understand by signs that he was to use the jaguar skins as his bed for the night. The woman retired to one of the hammocks, while her hus- band, squatting silently on the platform with a long metal-tipped spear beside him, prepared to stand—or sit—guard over his captive. That was the longest night of Van’s life. Whenever he awaked from a troubled doze, it was to meet the EomichooksreGo