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the tree frogs on the roof of the house until [[strikethrough]]the [[/strikethrough]] sleep came, and with it a dream about you -- [[strikethrough]] the golden beetles I got [[/strikethrough]] the next day's hard climbs and descents over pine clad hills and down slippery trails thru tropical forest, when the guide often had to cut out a fresh trail owing to the growing up of the old one -- the steady steamwhistle of the palomas, and the calls of strange birds out of sight among the treetops -- lunch in the forest, of canned sausage, frijoles, tortillas, coffee, and capoca, the pith of palm stalks - then a hard climb to the top of the next ridge, called Cuesta Arrancabarba ("pull out your beard") because of its steepness, and so steep near the top that we found it advisable to dismount -- the descent into dense forest again, and camp for the night in an extemporized clearing near the river -- early coffee & breakfast next morning and still steeper climbs and descents till 10, when we stopped in a clearing to await the guide and cargo, who came up at 1.30, detained by the steep slippery trail, with a wild hen which the guide had shot - the stop for the night at a little house in a clearing, where I had a bath again in the river -- the supper inside the house, myself in my hammock at the table, the guide and boys on the floor, and the dogs in an expectant circle at the door - the struggle to eat the wild hen, still tough after half an hour's cooking, while the rain poured down so heavily as to drown the thunder -- the beetles I caught next morning, flying about like drops of liquid gold among the bananas and shrubbery on the edge of the woods -- the ride thru fresh wet woods, and the mishap to my cyanide bottle, remedied by plenty of adhesive plaster -- arrival at Las Playitas about 11, and a good meal with the Americans there -- then the long easy trail chiefly along the railroad to Puebredas reached after dark, and the discouraging search for the town in the darkness -- the final discovery of a man to take us up to the town, and the not very enthusiastic greeting of Pittier and the rest -- the three or four hot days at [[strikethrough]] Pl [[/strikethrough]] Quebradas,