cr own readers

208 THE RUBBER-TREES OF THE AMAZON.
route
di-rec-to rs
dis-patch -es
av -a-lanch-es
a-vo id-ed
dis-a-bled
re-doub-led
ve-he-m en ce
ex-haust-ed
ap-point-ment
fe-ver-ish
im-pa-tience
dis-suade'
com-mis-sioned
nav-i-gn-bil-i-ty
in-tel-li-gence
de-lir-i-ous
e-stab-lish-ment
con-vey-ance
se-cu-ri-ty
IVCR D EXERCl'E :-
1. Mak e sente nces to show t he uses of the word s direc t, directio n
(in various meaniugs), directo r, and indirect .
2. Give a list of word s ending in -g " e, QS fatigue, showing where
the letters ar e silent.
3. Explain the difference in meaning between north, south , etc. , and
their deriv atives northerly, sontherly, etc.
For N OTES, see paye 267.
53. THE RUBBER-TREES OF THE AMAZON.
1. In studying th e great valley of th e Ama zon, the
first step is to distinguish betw een the mainland and
th e flood-plain. ' Th e mainland is alw ays beyond reach
of the floods, th ough it may be only a few iriches
ab ove them; and it has a foundation of rock , which
crops out in many places. Th e flood-plain, on the
contrary, has clearly been form ed by th e river itself.
Its islands and flats ar e built up of mud and clay, with
an occasional sand-bank ; but they are never stony,
and only isolated points are above the level of the
highest floods.
2. Wh en sailing among th e islands and through
th e channels of th e flood-plain s, with their swampy
forests, th eir great stretches of meadow , and th eir halfsubm
erged plantations, any one who is not blind must
feel his soul moved within him by the marvellous
beauty of th e vegetation. No ground is seen ; straight
up from the water the forest ris es like a wall-dense,