Tents—­There is nothing better for material than the light waterproof Sea Island cotton of American manufacture, made under the trade name of waterproof silk.  It keeps out the heaviest rain and is very light.  Canvas becomes water-soaked, and cravenetted material lets the water through.  A waterproof canvas floor is a luxury, and, though it adds to the weight, it may with advantage be taken on ordinary trips.  The tent should be eight by eight or eight by nine feet, large enough to swing a comfortable hammock.  A waterproof canvas bag, a loose-fitting envelope for the tent should be provided.  Native help is, as a rule, careless, and the bag would save wear and tear.

Hammocks—­The hammock is the South American bed, and the traveller will find it exceedingly comfortable.  After leaving the larger cities and settlements a bed is a rare object.  All the houses are provided with extra hammock hooks.  The traveller will be entertained hospitably and after dinner will be given two hooks upon which to hang his hammock, for he will be expected to have his hammock and, in insect time, his net, if he has nothing else.  As a rule, a native hammock and net can be procured in the field.  But it is best to take a comfortable one along, arranged with a fine-meshed net.

In regard to the folding cot:  It is heavy and its numerous legs form a sort of highway system over which all sorts of insects can crawl up to the sleeper.  The ants are special pests and some of them can bite with the enthusiastic vigor of beasts many times their size.  The canvas floor in a tent obviates to a degree the insect annoyance.

The headwaters of the rivers are usually reached by pack-trains of mules and oxen.  The primitive ox-cart also comes in where the trail is not too bad.  One hundred and sixty to one hundred and eighty pounds is a good load for the pack-animals, and none of the cases should weigh more than fifty or sixty pounds.  Each case should be marked with its contents and gross and net weight in kilos.

For personal baggage the light fibre sample case used by travelling men in the United States does admirably.  The regulation fibre case with its metal binding sold for the purpose is too heavy and has the bad feature of swelling up under the influence of rain and dampness, often necessitating the use of an axe or heavy hammer to remove cover.

The ordinary fibre trunk is good for rail and steamer travel, but it is absolutely unpractical for mule-back or canoe.  The fibre sample case could be developed into a container particularly fitted for exploration.  The fibre should be soaked in hot paraffin and then hot-calendered or hot-pressed.  This case could then be covered with waterproof canvas with throat opening like a duffel-bag.

The waterproof duffel-bags usually sold are too light in texture and wear through.  A heavier grade should be used.  The small duffel-bag is very convenient for hammock and clothing, but generally the thing wanted will be at the bottom of the bag!  We took with us a number of small cotton bags.  As cotton is very absorbent, I had them paraffined.  Each bag was tagged and all were placed in the large duffel-bag.  The light fibre case described above, made just the right size for mule pack, divided by partitions, and covered with a duffel-bag, would prove a great convenience.