In Search of an Unknown Race — page 67: what you’re looking at

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

VAN. 59 Van suffered his boat to drift downward with the current, keeping as nearly as possible in the middle of the stream, whose densely wooded shores, indistinctly seen through the gloom, swept past with considerable rapidity. In less than half an hour he had reached the junction of the smaller creek with the Canuma. Drawing the canoe under the overhanging branches of an immense cluster of tree ferns, he ‘“‘tied up” till morning—it being impossible to get further in the darkness, Laying himself at uneasy length in the canoe bottom, Van drew a long breath. For the first time since his escape he had leisure for connected thought. What step to take next did not trouble his mind. There was only one thing that he cou/d do—that being to go forward. He could not hope to overtake Bob Martin and Tom unless they had been delayed in some way, yet he could reach Canuma Lake with ordinary good fortune. Once there, unless the whole thing was a myth, he would find those who would help him—or in the words of his uncle Richard’s message—‘‘ whoever shall reach Canuma Lake, bringing this letter which has the imprint of the royal seal, has no further difficulty. ffis or their responsibility ceases, and such ikl or persons are taken in charge by others.” Revolving these thoughts, together with confused memories of the startling events of the past twenty- four hours, in his mind, Van fell-fast asleep. He had resolved to wake with the first gleam of day. But into his leafy, shaded retreat, neither the glimmer of dawn nor the rays of sunrise could penetrate, and the sun itself was two hours high before Van opened EOmicdoo “S (E(0)