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a fine wind, which took us across the great bays above Barra ; and about four in the afternoon we landed on a sandy beach, near which were a couple of cottages. Here Mr. S. found some handsome new flowering shrubs and trees, and I obtained five specimens of a small fish, a pacu new to me, so we both had work till supper-time ; after which meal we hung our redes under the bushes as we best could, and passed an agreeable night. The next morning we bade each other farewell ; Mr. S. returning to Barra, and I pursuing my voyage up the river. On arriving at a sitio, where I had on the way down left my montaria in order that it might not be stolen in Barra, I found my precaution had been of no avail, as it had been stolen a few days before by an Indian of the Rio Branco. He had had his own canoe taken from him near that place, by a man going to the Solimoes, who tried to compel the owner to go also, and so, in self-defence, the Indian took mine to pursue his journey. I had no remedy, so we went on, trusting to buy a montaria somewhere shortly. We had several strong " trovoados," which were rather dangerous, owing to my canoe being very much loaded. One came on with great violence from the other side of the river, raising tremendous waves, which would have driven us on shore and broken our boat all to pieces, had there not luckily been some bushes in the water, to which we fastened prow and poop, and remained tossing and rolling about more than an hour, baling out the water as fast as it came in, and in constant fear of shipping a sea that would send us to the bottom.

The same evening I overtook Frei Joze', who was on a pastoral and trading visit to Pedreiro. We stayed at the same place to sleep, and I went to converse a little with him in his canoe, which was large and commodious. Our conversation turning on the prevalence of the small-pox in Para, he related an anecdote of his own diplomatic powers with respect to that dreadful disease, on which he appeared to pride himself con- siderably.

" When I was in Bolivia," said he, " there were several nations of very warlike Indians, who plundered and murdered travellers on the way to St a . Cruz. The President sent the soldiers after them, and spent much money in powder and ball, but with very little effect. The small-pox was in the city at the time, and the clothes of all who died of it were ordered to be burnt,


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 1 85 1. ) AN A TTA CK OP FE VER. 235

to prevent infection. One day conversing with his Excellency about the Indians, I put him up to a much cheaper way than powder and ball for exterminating them. " Instead of burning the clothes," said I, "just order them to be put in the way of the Indians : they are sure to take possession of them, and they'll die off like wildfire. He followed my advice, and in a few months there was no more heard of the depredations of the Indians. Four or five nations were totally destroyed." "For," added he, "the bixiga plays the devil among the Indians." I could hardly help a shudder at this cool account of such a cold-blooded massacre, but said nothing, consoling myself with the idea that it was probably one of the ingenious fabrications of Frei Joze's fertile brain ; though it showed that he would look upon the reality as a very politic and laudable action.

At Pedreiro I bought a couple of fine turtles, and stayed half a day to kill and cook one. It was very fat, so we fried almost all the meat and put it in a large pot with the oil, as it keeps a long time, and, boiled up with a little rice, makes an excellent dinner when fish are not to be had. The insides, all of which are eatable, together with the meat adhering to the upper and lower shell, and some of the eggs (of which there were near two hundred) were sufficient for all the crew for two days. At Carvoeiro I stayed a day to get my guns mended, some large hooks made, and the tolda (which the Indians had made very badly in Barra) repaired. Senhor Vasconcellos gave me a curious flat-headed species of river-tortoise I had not before met with ; he had kept it in a small pond two years, having brought it from the lower Amazon. Here I had strong symptoms of fever, and expected I was going to have an attack of the much-dreaded ' seizaos,' for which Carvoeiro is a noted locality. Looking after the arrangement of the canoe in the hot sun did not do me much good ; and shortly after leaving, I found myself quite knocked up, with headache, pains in the back and limbs, and violent fever. I had commenced operations that morning by taking some purgative medicine, and the next day I began taking doses of quinine, drinking plentifully cream-of-tartar water, though I was so weak and apathetic that at times I could hardly muster resolution to move myself to prepare them. It is at such times that one feels the want of a friend or attendant ; for of

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course it is impossible to get the Indians to do these little things without so much, explanation and showing as would require more exertion than doing them oneself. By dint, however, of another purge, an emetic, washing and bathing, and quinine three times a day, I succeeded in subduing the fever ; and in about four days had only a little weakness left, which in a day or two more quite passed away. All this time the Indians went on with the canoe as they liked ; for during two days and nights I hardly cared if we sank or swam. While in that apathetic state I was constantly half-thinking, half-dreaming, of all my past life and future hopes, and that they were perhaps all doomed to end here on the Rio Negro. And then I thought of the dark uncertainty of the fate of my brother Herbert, and of my only remaining brother in California, who might perhaps ere this have fallen a victim to the cholera, which according to the latest accounts was raging there. But with returning health these gloomy thoughts passed away, and I again went on, rejoicing in this my last voyage, and looking forward with firm hope to home, sweet home ! I, however, made an inward vow never to travel again in such wild, unpeopled districts without some civilised companion or attendant.

I had intended to skin the remaining turtle on the voyage and had bought a large packing-case to put it in ; but not having room in the canoe, it had been secured edgeways, and one of its feet being squeezed had begun to putrefy, so we were obliged to kill it at once and add the meaty parts to our stock of " mixira " (as meat perserved in oil is called), for the voyage.

We continued our progress with a most tedious slowness, though without accident, till we arrived on the 29th of October at the sitio of Joao Cordeiro, the Subdelegarde, where I intended staying some days, to preserve the skin and skeleton of a cow-fish. I found here an old friend, Senhor Joze" de Azevedos, who had visited us at Guia, now ill with ague, from which he had been suffering severely for several days, having violent attacks of vomiting and dysentery. As usual, he was quite without any proper remedies, and even such simple ones as cooling drinks during the fever were shunned as poison ; hot broths, or caxaca and peppers, being here considered the appropriate medicines. With the help of a few sudorifics and


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 1851.] TH£ MATAMATA. 227

purgatives, and cooling drinks and baths, with quinine between the fits, he soon got better, — much to his astonishment, as he was almost afraid to submit himself to the treatment I recom- mended.

I spent a whole week here, for the fishermen were unsuccess- ful, and for five days no Peixe boi appeared. I, however, had plenty to do, as I skinned a small turtle and a " matamata (Chelys Matamata), that Senhor Joao gave me. This is an extraordinary river-tortoise, with a deeply-keeled and tubercled shell, and a huge flat broad head and neck, garnished with curious lobed fleshy appendages; the nostrils are prolonged into a tube, — giving the animal altogether a most singular appearance. Some of our Indians went every day to fish, and I several times sent the net, and thus procured many new species to figure and describe, which kept me pretty constantly at work, the intervals being filled up by visits to my patient, eating water-melons, and drinking coffee. This is a fine locality for fish, and as far as they are concerned I should have liked to stay a month or two, as there were many curious and interesting species to be found here, which I had not yet obtained.

At length one morning the Peixi boi we had been so long expecting, arrived. It had been caught the night before, with a net, in a lake at some distance. It was a nearly full-grown male, seven feet long and five in circumference. By the help of a long pole and cords four Indians carried it to a shed, where it was laid on a bed of palm-leaves, and two or three men set to work skinning it ; I myself operating on the paddles and the head, where the greatest delicacy is required, which the Indians are not accustomed to. After the skin was got off, a second operation was gone through, to take away the layer of fat beneath it, with which to fry the meat I intended to preserve ; the inside was then taken out, and the principal mass of meat at once obtained from the belly, back, and sides of the tail. This was all handed over to Senhor Joao, who undertook to prepare it for me ; his men being used to the work, from having some scores to operate upon every year. My Indians then cut away the remaining meat from the ribs, head, and arms for their own saucepans, and in a very short time left the skeleton tolerably bare. All this time I was at work myself at the paddles, and looking on to see that no bones


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were injured or carried away. I separated the skeleton into convenient pieces for entering into the barrel, cleaned out the spinal marrow, cleared off some more of the meat, and having sprinkled it over with salt, put it with the skin into the barrel to drain for the night, and left the Indians to make a good supper, and stuff themselves till contented. The next day, after arranging the skin and the bones afresh, I with some trouble fastened in the head of the barrel, when I found the brine that was in it oozing out in every direction, and soon discovered that the cask was riddled by little wood-boring beetles. The holes seemed innumerable, but I immediately set to work with two of my Indians, stopping them up with little wooden pegs. We were occupied at this some hours, and had pegged up I don't know how many hundred holes, till we could not by the closest examination discover any more. A huge pan of brine had been made by dissolving salt in boiling water, and as some of it was now cool I commenced filling with a funnel ; when instantly, notwithstanding all our labour, out trickled the liquid by a dozen unperceived holes, most of them situated close to, or beneath the hoops. These last could not be plugged, so I pushed in tow and rag under the hoops, to be afterwards pitched over. With the filling and plugging we were occupied all day ; holes constantly appearing in fresh places and obstinately refusing to be stopped. No- thing would adhere to the wet surface, so the upper part of the cask had -to be dried, covered with pitch, then with cloth, arid then again well pitched over. Then rolling over the barrel, another leaky portion was brought to the top, and treated in the same manner. After great labour, all seemed complete, yet numerous, little streams still appeared; but as they were very small, and their sources quite undiscoverable, I left them in despair, trusting that the salt or the swelling of the wood would stop them. By the time I got the cask carried up to the house and deposited in charge of Senhor Joao till my return, it was dusk ; and so finished two most disagree- able days' work with the Peixe boi. Senhor Joao had prepared me a pot of meat and sausages preserved in the oil, which I embarked, and got all ready to leave the next morning, as I had now been delayed a week of most valuable time. I left him also a box containing four species of turtles, which I had stuffed either here or on my voyage.


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 1 85 1. BRAZILIAN VERACITY. 229

Continuing our journey, nothing particular occurred but several storms of rain and wind, accompanied with thunder, which sometimes retarded us, and sometimes helped us on. Many of them were complete hurricanes, the wind shifting round suddenly, through every point of the compass ; so that, if our little canoe had not been well ballasted with her cargo of salt and iron, she would have capsized. Once, in particular, at about four in the morning, we experienced one of these storms in a wide part of the river, where the waves raised were very great, and tossed us about violently. A sudden shift of the wind took our sail aback, and we had great difficulty in getting it in. The rain was driving thickly against us, and rendered it bitterly cold ; our montaria, which was towed astern, got water-logged, — plunged, and dashed against the canoe, — tore out its benches, and lost its paddles. I gave orders to cast it loose, thinking it impossible to save it; but the Indians thought otherwise, for one of them plunged in after it, and succeeded in guiding it to the shore, where we also with much difficulty arrived, and managed to fasten our bows to some bushes, and get a rope out from our stern to a tree growing in the water, so as to prevent the canoe from getting broadside to the waves, which rolled in furiously, keeping one of our men constantly baling out water ; and thus we waited for daylight. I then gave the men a cup of caxaca each ; and when the sea had subsided sufficiently to allow of rowing, we continued our passage. These storms are the only things that make travelling here disagreeable : they are very frequent, but each succeeding one, instead of reconciling me to them, made me more fearful than before. It is by no means an uncommon thing for canoes to be swamped by them, or dashed to pieces on the sands ; and the Rio Negro has such a disagreeable notoriety for the suddenness and fury of its trovoados, that many persons will never put up a sail when there is a sign of one approaching, but seek some safe port, to wait till it has passed.

Onthe 12th of November I reached the sitio of Senhor Chagas, where I stopped for the night : he gave me some letters to take up to Sao Gabriel, and just as I was going, requested me, as a favour, to tell everybody that I had not found him at his sitio, but that he was gone to the " mato " to get salsa. As I was on familiar terms with him, I told him that really I was very


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sorry I could not oblige him, but that, as I was not accustomed to lying, I should be found out immediately if I attempted it : he, however, insisted that I might surely try, and I should soon learn to lie as well as the best of them. So I told him at once, that in my country a liar was considered as bad as a thief ; at which he seemed rather astonished. I gave him a short account of the pillory, as a proof of how much our ancestors detested lying and perjury, which much edified him, and he called his son (a nice boy of twelve or fourteen, just returned from school), to hear and profit by the example; showing, I think, that the people here are perfectly aware of the moral enormity of the practice, but that constant habit and universal custom, and above all, that false politeness which renders them unable verbally to deny anything, has rendered it almost a necessary evil. Any native of the country would have instantly agreed to Senhor Chagas's request, and would then have told every one of it up the river, always begging them not to say he told them, — thus telling a lie for themselves instead of for Senhor Chagas.

The next morning I reached Wanaw^ca, the sitio of Manoel Jacinto, and stayed to breakfast with him, luxuriating in milk with my coffee, and " coalhado," or curdled milk, pine-apple, and pacovas with cheese, — luxuries which, though every one might have, are seldom met with in the Rio Negro. His sitio is, perhaps, the prettiest on the river ; and this, simply because there is an open space of grass around the house, with some forest and fruit-trees scattered about it, affording shade for the cattle and sheep, and a most agreeable relief to the eye, long fatigued with eternal forest.

When I consider the excessively small amount of labour required in this country, to convert the virgin forest into green meadows and fertile plantations, I almost long to come over with half-a-dozen friends, disposed to work, and enjoy the country; and show the inhabitants how soon an earthly paradise might be created, which they had never even con- ceived capable of existing.

It is a vulgar error, copied and repeated from one book to another, that in the tropics the luxuriance of the vegetation overpowers the efforts of man. Just the reverse is the case : nature and the climate are nowhere so favourable to the labourer, and I fearlessly assert, that here, the " primeval "


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 1851.] FERTILITY OF THE COUNTRY. 231

forest can be converted into rich pasture and meadow land, into cultivated fields, gardens, and orchards, containing every variety of produce, with half the labour, and, what is of more importance, in less than half the time than would be required at home, even though there we had clear, instead of forest ground to commence upon. It is true that ground once rudely cleared, in the manner of the country, by merely cutting down the wood and burning it as it lies, will, if left to itself, in a single year, be covered with a dense shrubby vegetation ; but if the ground is cultivated and roughly weeded, the trunks and stumps will have so rotted in two or three years, as to render their complete removal an easy matter, and then a fine crop of grass succeeds ; and, with cattle upon it, no more care is required, as no shrubby vegetation again appears. Then, whatever fruit-trees are planted will reach a large size in five or six years, and many of them give fruit in two or three. Coffee and cacao both produce abundantly with the mimimum of attention ; orange and other fruit-trees never receive any attention, but, if pruned, would no doubt yield fruit of. a superior quality, in greater quantity. Pine-apples, melons, and water-melons are planted, and when ripe the fruit is gathered, there being no intermediate process whatever. Indian corn and rice are treated nearly in the same manner. Onions, beans, and many other vegetables, thrive luxuriantly. The ground is never turned up, and manure never applied ; if both were done, it is probable that the labour would be richly repaid. Cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs may be kept to any extent ; nobody ever gives them anything to eat, and they always do well. Poultry of all kinds thrive. Molasses may be easily made in any quantity, for cane put into the ground grows, and gives no trouble ; and I do not see why the domestic process used in the United States for making maple- sugar should not be applied here. Now, I unhesitatingly affirm, that two or three families, containing half-a-dozen working and industrious men and boys, and being able to bring a capital in goods of fifty pounds, might, in three years, find themselves in the possession of all I have mentioned. Supposing them to get used to the mandiocca and Indian-corn bread, they would, with the exception of clothing, have no one necessary or luxury to purchase : they would be abundantly supplied with pork, beef and mutton, poultry, eggs, butter,


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milk and cheese, coffee and cacao, molasses and sugar ; delicious fish, turtles and turtles' eggs, and a great variety of game, would furnish their table with constant variety, while vegetables would not be wanting, and fruits, both cultivated and wild, in superfluous abundance, and of a quality that none but the wealthy of our land can afford. Oranges and lemons, figs and grapes, melons and water-melons, jack-fruits, custard- apples, pine-apples, cashews, alligator pears, and mammee apples are some of the commonest, whilst numerous palm and other forest fruits furnish delicious drinks, which everybody soon gets very fond of. Both animal and vegetable oils can be procured in abundance for light and cooking. And then, having provided for the body, what lovely gardens and shady walks might not be made ! How easy to construct a natural orchid-house, beneath a clump of forest-trees, and collect the most beautiful species found in the neighbourhood ! What elegant avenues of palms might be formed ! What lovely climbers abound, to train over arbours, or up the walls of the house !

In the whole Amazon, no such thing as neatness or cultiva- tion has ever been tried. Walks, and avenues, and gardens have never been made ; but I can imagine how much beauty and variety might be called into existence from the gloomy monotony of the forest.

" England ! my heart is truly thine, — my loved, my native earth ! "

But the idea of the glorious life which might be led here, free from all the money-matter cares and annoyances of civilisation, makes me sometimes doubt, if it would not be wiser to bid thee adieu for ever, and come and live a life of ease and plenty in the Rio Negro.

This district is superior to any other part of the Amazon, and perhaps any other part of Brazil, in having a climate free from long droughts. In fact, the variableness of rain and sunshine, all the year round, is as great as in England itself; but it is this very thing which produces a perennial verdure. There are parts of the Rio Negro where the turtle, the peixe boi, and all sorts of fish abound ; advantages, for which many persons endure the tormenting " carapanas " of the Solimoes, but which can be had here without any insect torment, and with a far superior climate for agricultural purposes.


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 1 85 1.] A LARGE SNAKE. 233

All cultivated products of the soil are so scarce that they meet with a ready sale at good prices, not only in the city of Barra, but also to passing traders, who have no time or means for cultivating them themselves. Tobacco, coffee, molasses, cotton, castor-oil, rice, maize, eggs, poultry, salt-meat, and fish, all kinds of oils, cheese, and butter, can always be sold, — the supply being invariably below the demand, — and, besides providing clothing and other extras, which in this climate are a mere trifle, might be made to produce a handsome profit. To do all this requires some experience and some industry ; but not a tithe of either which are necessary to get a bare living at home.

Leaving this pleasant place about midday, we proceeded slowly on. One of my best Indians fell ill of fever and ague ; and, a few days after, another was attacked. It was in vain attempting, at any sitio or village, to get men to help me on the rest of my voyage ; no offer of extra wages would induce them to leave their houses ; all had some excuse of occupation or illness, so we were forced to creep on as well as we could. Two days below the Falls I bought a smaller canoe of a Portuguese trader, to ascend the Uaupes, and moved my cargo into it, leaving that of Senhor Lima with the other canoe, to be sent for afterwards. At Camanau, I with much difficulty, and some delay, procured a pilot and another Indian, to go with me to Sao Gabriel. There, after another day's delay, I found two Indians, who agreed to go as far as Sao Joaquim ; and after keeping me waiting three or four hours beyond the time appointed, absconded at night from the sitio where we slept, having been previously paid double wages for the whole distance. Here, however, I was lucky enough to get three more in place of the two rogues ; but as another of my Indians had now fallen ill, we still had few enough for passing the numerous rapids and rocks with which the river is obstructed.

One day we found, coiled up on the bank, a large Sucurujii, the first large snake I had met with, and as I was very anxious to secure it, to preserve the skin, I loaded my gun, and telling my Indians not to let it escape, fired. It remained motionless some time, as if stunned 6y the shock, and then slowly began to uncoil, turning its head down towards the water, but evidently so much injured as to be unable to move its body on land. In vain I cried to the Indians to secure it ;


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the pilot had been severely bitten by one some time before, and was afraid ; and so, instead of obeying me, they kept striking it with a thick stick, which only hastened its descent down the bank into the water, where, sinking to the bottom among dead trees, it was quite out of our power. As near as I could judge, the snake was fifteen or twenty feet long, and as thick as my thigh. At Sao Gabriel I saw also, on the rocks, asleep, one of the most deadly serpents of South America, the Surucucu {Lachesis mutus). It is very hand- somely marked with rich umber-brown, and armed with terrific poison-fangs, two on each side ; it is much dreaded, as its bite is said to be incurable.

On leaving Sao Gabriel I was again attacked with fever, and on arriving at Sao Joaquim I was completely laid up. My Indians took the opportunity to steal a quantity of the caxaca I had brought for preserving the fishes, and anything else they could lay their hands on; so I was glad, on the occasion of a slight remission of the fever, to pay their wages and send them off. After a few days, the violence of the fever abated, and I thought I was going to get over it very easily ; but such was not the case, for every alternate day I experienced a great depression, with disinclination to motion : this always followed a feverish night, in which I could not sleep. The next night I invariably slept well perspiring profusely, and, the succeeding day, was able to move about, and had a little appetite. The weakness and fever, however, increased, till I was again confined to my rede, — could eat nothing, and was so torpid and helpless, that Senhor L., who attended me, did not expect me to live. I could not speak intelligibly, and had not strength to write, or even to turn over in my hammock. A few days after this, I was attacked with severe ague, which recurred every two days. I took quinine for some time with- out any apparent effect, till, after nearly a fortnight, the fits ceased, and I only suffered from extreme emaciation and weakness. In a few days, however, the fits of ague returned, and now came every day. Their visits, thus frequent, were by no means agreeable ; as, what with the succeeding fever and perspiration, which lasted from before noon till night, I had little quiet repose. In this state I remained till the beginning of February, the ague continuing, but with diminished force ; and though with an increasing appetite, and eating heartily,


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 I8SI.] FEVER AND AGUE. 235

yet gaining so little strength, that I could with difficulty stand alone, or walk across the room with the assistance of two sticks. The ague, however, now left me, and in another week, as I could walk with a stick down to the river-side, I went to Sao Gabriel, to see Mr. Spruce, who had arrived there, and had kindly been to see me a short time before. I purchased some wine and biscuits of the Commandante, and then returned to Sao Joaquim, determined, though the wet season was now again beginning, to set off for the Upper Uaupes, as soon as I could procure men, and get my canoe ready.


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 1851.] DIFFICULTIES WITH INDIANS. 237

next day was occupied in paying my men, and sending for Bernardo to conduct my canoe up the falls, and get me more Indians for the voyage.

On Monday he arrived, and I let him take the canoe, but did not go with him, as, for some days past, the ague had agam attacked me, and this was the day of the fit ; so I sent the two guardas, my head men, who could speak Portuguese, to take charge of the canoe and cargo, and remained myself till the next day. In the evening a small trader arrived from above, very tipsy, and an Indian informed Senhor Augustinho that it was with my caxaga, which the men whom I had brought specially to take charge of my cargo, had opened. This I next day found to be the case, as the seals had been broken, and clumsily refastened with a burning stick. These men were half-civilised Indians, who came with me as hunters, to inter- pret for me with the Indians and take charge of my goods, on account of which I paid them extra wages. They ate with me, and did not row with the other Indians ; but the temptation of being left alone for nearly a day, with a garafao of caxaga, was too strong for them. Of course I passed all over in silence, appearing to be perfectly ignorant of what had taken place, as, had I done otherwise, they would probably both have left me, after having received the greater part of their payment before- hand, and I should have been unable to proceed on my voyage.

With Bernardo's assistance, I soon got ten paddles in my canoe ; and having paid most of them out of my stock of axes, mirrors, knives, beads, etc., we went along very briskly to Jauarit£, where we arrived on the morning of the 28th. I was anxious to pass the caxoeira immediately, but was delayed, — paying two Indians, who left me here, and procuring others ; so my ague fit fell upon me before we left the village, and I was very weak and feverish when we went to pass the falls. We unloaded the whole of the cargo, which had to be carried a considerable distance through the forest; and even then, pulling the canoe up the falls was a matter of great difficulty. There are two falls, at some distance from each other, which make the land-carriage very long.

We then re-embarked, when Bernardo coolly informed me that he could go no further, after having received payment for the whole voyage. His brother, he said, should go in his


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place ; and when I returned, he would pay me what he owed me. So I was forced to make the best of it ; but shortly after I found that his brother would only go to Jacare" caxoeira, and thus I was a second time deceived.

On starting, I missed Joao, and found that he had left us in the village, telling the guardas that he had only agreed with me to come so far, and they had never said a word to me about it till now, that it was too late. Antonio's debt therefore still remained unpaid, and was even increased by a knife which Joao had asked for, and I had given him, in order that he might go on the voyage satisfied.

The river now became full of rocks, to a degree to which even the rockiest part of the Rio Negro was a trifle. All were low, and would be covered at high-water, while numbers more remained below the surface, and we were continually striking against them. That afternoon we passed four more falls, the " Uacu " (a fruit), " Uacara " (Egret), " Muciira " (Opossum), and " Japona " (oven) caxoeiras. At Uacara there was a malocca of the same name ; and at Japona another, where we passed the night. All these rapids we ascended without un- loading; but the Uacara' was very bad, and occasioned us much trouble and delay. The next morning, when about to start, we found that another Indian was missing : he had absconded in the night, and it was useless attempting to seek him, though we knew he had gone to Uacara Malocca, where he wished to stay the day before, but where all knowledge of him would be denied and he well hidden, had we returned to fetch him. He was one who had received full payment, making three who had already gone away in my debt; a not very encouraging beginning for my voyage.

We passed the " Tyeassu " (Pig) caxoeira early, and then had a good stretch of quiet water till midday, when we reached the " Oomarie " (a fruit) caxoeira, where there is a sitio. Here we dined off a fine fresh Tucunardi, which an old man sold me ; and I agreed with his son, by the temptation of an axe, to go with me. We pulled the canoe up this rapid without unloading, which is seldom done, except when the river is low, as it now was. The rest of the day we had quiet water, and stopped at a rock to make our supper and sleep.

March st. — We passed the " Macaco " (monkey) caxoeira early. The rocks here, and particularly about Oomarie


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 1852.] NUMEROUS CATARACTS, 239

caxoeira, were so full of parallel veins, as to give them the appearance of being stratified and thrown up nearly vertically ; whereas they are granitic, and similar to those we had already seen. We then soon reached the " Ira " (Honey) and " Baccaba " (a Palm) caxoeiras ; at both of which there are figures or picture-writings on the rocks, which I stayed to sketch. In passing the latter rapid, we knocked off one of the false keels I had had put to the canoe previous to starting, to preserve the bottom in the centre, where it was worn very thin by being dragged over the rocks by its former owner. We therefore stopped at a sandbank, unloaded the canoe, and plugged up the nail-holes, which were letting in water very fast.

The next day we passed in succession the "Arara Miri" (Little Macaw), "Tamaquerie" (Gecko), "Paroquet," " Japoo" (a bird), " Arara " (Macaw), " Tatii " (Armadillo), " Amana " (Rain), " Camoa " (?), " Yauti " (Tortoise) ; and, finally, about three p.m., arrived at "Caruru " (a water-plant) caxoeira. The last five of these, before arriving at Caruru, were exceedingly bad ; the passage being generally in the middle of the river, among rocks, where the water rushes furiously. The falls were not more than three or four feet each ; but, to pull a loaded canoe up these, against the foaming waters of a large river, was a matter of the greatest difficulty for my dozen Indians, their only resting-place being often breast-deep in water, where it was a matter of wonder that they could stand against the current, much less exert any force to pull the canoe. At Arara fall, the usual passage is over the dry rock, and we unloaded for that purpose ; but all the efforts of the Indians could not get the heavy canoe up the steep and rugged ascent which was the only pathway. Again and again they exerted themselves, but to no purpose ; and I was just sending by an old man, who was passing in a small canoe, to Caruru for assistance, when he suggested that by getting a long sipo (the general cable in these rivers) we might obtair a good purchase, to pull the canoe up the margin of the fall, which we had previously tried without success. We accordingly did so, and by great exertions the difficulty was passed, — much to my satisfaction, as sending to Caruru would have occasioned a great and very annoying delay.

The river from Jauarite may be said to average about a


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third of a mile wide, but the bends and turns are innumerable ; and at every rapid it almost always spreads out into such deep bays, and is divided into channels by so many rocks and islands, as to make one sometimes think that the water is suddenly flowing back in a direction contrary to that it had previously been taking. Caruru caxoeira itself is greater than any we had yet seen, — rushing amongst huge rocks down a descent of perhaps fifteen or twenty feet. The only way of passing this, was to pull the canoe over the dry rock, which rose considerably above the level of the water, and was rather rugged, being interrupted in places by breaks or steps two or three feet high. The canoe was accordingly unloaded, quantities of poles and branches cut and laid in the path to prevent the bottom being much injured by the rocks, and a messenger sent to the village on the other side of the river to request the Tushaiia to come with plenty of men to our assistance. He soon arrived with eleven Indians, and all hands set to work pushing the canoe, or pulling at the sipos ; and even then, the strength of five-and-twenty persons could only move it by steps, and with great difficulty. However,- it was at length passed, and we then proceeded to the village, where the Tushaiia lent us a house.

The canoe was so weak in the bottom in one place, that I was fearful of some accident in my descent, so I determined to stay here two or three days, to cut out the weak part and put in a strong board. I now also saw that this canoe was much too heavy to proceed further up the river, as at many of the falls there was no assistance to be obtained, even in places as difficult to pass as Caruru ; so I opened negotiations to purchase a very large " oba " of the Tushaiia, which, before leaving, I effected for an axe, a shirt and trousers, two cutlasses, and some beads. We were delayed here five entire days, owing to the difficulty of finding a tree of good wood sufficiently large to give a board of twelve or fourteen inches wide ; and at last I was obliged to be content with two narrow boards, clumsily inserted, rather than be exposed to more delay.

There was a large malocca here, and a considerable number of houses. The front of the malocca was painted very taste- fully in diamonds and circles, with red, yellow, white, and black. On the rocks were a series of strange figures, of which I took a sketch. The Indians were of the " Ananas " or Pine-


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apple tribe ; I bought some dresses and feather ornaments of them ; and fish, mandiocca-cakes, etc., were brought me in considerable quantities, the articles most coveted in return being fish-hooks and red beads, of both of which I had a large stock. Just below the fall, the river is not more than two or three hundred yards wide ; while above, it is half a mile, and contains several large islands.

The large black pacu was abundant here, and, with other small fish, was generally brought us in sufficient quantity to prevent our recurring to fowls, which are considered by the traders to be the most ordinary fare a man can live on. I now ate for the first time the curious river-weed, called carurii, that grows on the rocks. We tried it as a salad, and also boiled with fish ; and both ways it was excellent ; — boiled, it much resembled spinach.

Here, too, I first saw and heard the "Juripari," or Devil- music of the Indians. One evening there was a caxiri-drinking ; and a little before dusk a sound as of trombones and bassoons was heard coming on the river towards the village, and presently appeared eight Indians, each playing on a great bassoon-looking instrument. They had four pairs, of different sizes, and produced a wild and pleasing sound. They blew them all together, tolerably in concert, to a simple tune, and showed more taste for music than I had yet seen displayed among these people. The instruments are made of bark spirally twisted, and with a mouthpiece of leaves.

In the evening I went to the malocca, and found two old men playing on the largest of the instruments. They waved them about in a singular manner, vertically and sideways, accompanied by corresponding contortions of the body, and played a long while in a regular tune, accompanying each other very correctly. From the moment the music was first heard, not a female, old or young, was to be seen ; for it is one of the strangest superstitions of the Uaupes Indians, that they con- sider it so dangerous for a woman ever to see one of these instruments, that having done so is punished with death, generally by poison. Even should the view be perfectly accidental, or should there be only a suspicion that the pro- scribed articles have been seen, no mercy is shown ; and it is said that fathers have been the executioners of their own daughters, and husbands of their wives, when such has been

iS


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the case. I was of -course anxious to purchase articles to which such curious customs belong, and spoke to the Tushaua on the subject. He at length promised to sell them me on my return, stipulating that they were to be embarked at some distance from the village, that there might be no danger of their being seen by the women.

On the morning previous to that on which we were to leave, two more of our Indians who had received full payment on starting, were discovered to have left us. They had taken possession of a canoe, and absconded in the night ; leaving me no remedy, but the chance of finding them in their houses on my return, and the still more remote chance of their having anything to pay me with.

The Indians here have but little characteristic distinction from those below. The women wear more beads around their necks and arms. The lower lip is often pierced, and two or three little strings of white beads inserted ; but as the nations are so mixed by inter-marriages, this custom is probably derived from the Tucanos. Some of the women and children wore two garters, one above the ankle and one below the knee — swelling out the calf enormously, which they consider a very great beauty. I did not see here so many long tails of hair ; most of the men having probably been to the Rio Negro with some trader, and thence worn their hair like Christians ; or perhaps because the last Tushaua was a " homen muito civilizado " (a very well-bred person).

After four days' delay, we at length started, with a com- paratively small complement of Indians, but with some extra men to assist us in passing several caxoeiras, which occur near at hand. These are the " Pirewa " (Wound), " Uacoroua " (Goat-sucker), "Maniwara" (White Ant), "Matapi" (Fish- trap), "Amana" (Rain), " Tapiracunga " (Tapir's head), "Tapi'ra eura" (Tapir's mouth), and "Jacare" (Alligator). Three of these were very bad, the canoe having to be unloaded entirely, and pulled over the dry and uneven rocks. The last was the highest j the river rushing furiously about twenty feet down a rugged slope of rock. The loading and unloading of the canoe three or four times in the course of as many hours, is a great annoyance. Baskets of farinha and salt, of mandiocca- cakes and pacovas, are strewn about. Panellas are often broken ; and when there comes a shower of rain, everything


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has to be heaped together in a hurry, — palm-leaves cut, and the more perishable articles covered ; but boxes, redes, and numerous other articles are sure to be .wetted, rendering us very uncomfortable when again hastily tumbled into the over- crowded canoe. If I had birds or insects out drying, they were sure to be overturned, or blown by the wind, or wetted by the rain, and the same fate was shared by my note-books and papers. Articles in boxes, unless packed tight, were shaken and rumpled by not being carried evenly ; so that it was an excellent lesson in patience, to bear all with philosophical serenity. We had passed all these falls by midday ; and at night slept on a rock, where there was a small rapid and a house without inhabitants.

On the 8th we had tolerably quiet water, with only two small rapids, the " Taiena " (Child), and " Paroquet " caxoeiras. On the 9th, in the morning, we reached the " Pacu " fall, and then had a quiet stream, though full of rocks, till the afternoon, when we passed the " Macucu " (a tree), " Anacas " (Pine- apple), and " Uacii " (a fruit) caxoeiras ; all very bad and difficult ones. We had left Caruru with very little farinha, as none was to be had there, and we had seen no inhabited sitios where any could be purchased ; so our Indians were now on short allowance of " beiju," which they had brought with them. Of a passing Indian I bought a basket of Ocoki, and some fish. The Ocoki is a large pear-shaped fruit, with a hard thick outer skin of almost a woody texture, then a small quantity of very sweet pulpy matter, and within a large black oval stone. The pulp is very luscious, but is so acrid as to make the mouth and throat sore, if more than two or three are eaten. When, however, the juice is boiled it loses this property ; and when made into mingau with tapioca, is exceedingly palatable and very highly osteemed in the Upper Rio Negro, where it is abundant. It takes at least a peck of fruit to give one small panella of mingau.

On the next day, the 10th, in the afternoon, the Indians all suddenly sprang like otters into the water, swam to the shore, and disappeared in the forest. " Ocoki," was the answer to my inquiries as to the cause of their sudden disappearance ; and I soon found they had discovered an ocoki-tree, and were load- ing themselves with the fruit to satisfy the cravings of hunger, for an Indian's throat and mouth seem invulnerable to all those


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scarifying substances which act upon civilised man. The tree is one of the loftiest in the forest, but the fruit falls as soon as ripe, and its hard woody coating preserves it from injury. Baskets, shirts, trousers, etc., were soon filled with the fruit and emptied into the canoe ; and I made each of the Indians bring a small basketful for me ; so that we had " mingau de ocoki " for three succeeding mornings.

The rocks from Carurii often present a scoriaceous appear- ance, as if the granite had been remelted. Sometimes they are a mass of burnt fragments, sometimes a honeycombed rock with a shining surface. In some places there are enclosed fragments of a finer-grained rock, apparently sandstone, and numerous veins and dykes, which often cross each other in three or four sets. The rocks are, in many places, so broken and cleft vertically, as to appear stratified and thrown up on end. The rounded form and concentric arrangement, observed in the Rio Negro, is here also constantly met with. The interstices of the rounded and angular masses of rock are often filled with a curious volcanic substance, which outwardly re- sembles pitch, but consists of scoriae, sand, clays, etc., variously cemented together.

On the ioth we passed the " Tapioca," "Tucano " (Toucan), " Tucunare " (a fish), " Uaracii pinimi " (a fish), and " Tyeassu " (Pig) caxoeiras. The first was very bad, and both difficult and dangerous to pass ; it consisted of many distinct falls among huge masses of rock. At one place the canoe remained stuck fast, amidst foaming waters, on the very edge of a fall, for nearly an hour ; all the efforts of the Indians could not move it forward. They heaved it over from one side to the other, but with no effect ; till I began to despair of getting out of the difficulty before night. At last the canoe suddenly moved on, with apparently not so much force as had been before applied to it ; but my Indians, being of several nations, did not under- stand any common language, and it was impossible to get them to act in concert, or obey any leader. It was probably some chance combination of forces, that at last extricated us from our unpleasant situation. At this fall, on the rocks, were very numerous figures, or picture-writings, and I stopped to make drawings of them ; of which I had by this time a rather ex- tensive collection.

The next three falls were small rapids ; but the last, which


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 1852.] CURIOUS ROCKS. 245

we reached late in the evening, was fearful.^ The river makes a sudden bend, and is confined in a very narrow channel, which is one confused mass of rocks of every size and shape, piled on one another, and heaped up in the greatest possible confusion. Every stone which rises above high-water mark is covered with vegetation ; and among the whole the river rushes and foams, so as to make the task of pilot one of no ordinary difficulty. Just as it was getting dark, we passed out of these gloomy narrows into a wider and more cheerful part of the river, and stayed at a rock to sup and sleep.

On the nth, early, we reached Uarucapun, where are a village and several maloccas. The first which we entered was inhabited by people of the Cobeu nation. There were about a dozen handsome men, all clean-limbed and well painted, with armlets and necklaces of white beads, and with the ears plugged with a piece of wood the size of a common bottle-cork, to the end of which was glued a piece of porcelain presenting a white shining surface. We agreed with these men to help to pass our canoe up the falls, and then proceeded on our walk through the village. My old friend Senhor Chagas was here, and with him I breakfasted off a fine pirahiba which his men had caught that morning, and which was the first I had eaten since my illness.

With some difficulty I succeeded in buying two or three baskets of farinha ; and being anxious to get to my journey's end, which was now near at hand, about midday we proceeded. Our pilot and his son left us, and we had now only six paddles ; but four or five additional men came with us to pass the re- maining caxoeiras, which were near. Close to the village we passed the " Cururu " (a toad), and " Murucututii " (an owl) falls, both rather bad; and, soon after, arrived at the " Uacoroua " (Goatsucker), the last great fall on the river below the " Juru- pari," which is many days further up. Here the river is precipitated over a nearly vertical rock, about ten feet high, and much broken in places. The canoe had to be entirely unloaded, and then pulled up over the rocks on the margin of the fall, a matter of considerable difficulty. To add to our discomfort, a shower of rain came on while the canoe was passing ; and the Indians, as usual, having scattered the cargo about in great confusion, it had to be huddled together and covered with mats and palm-leaves, till the shower, which was


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luckily a short one, passed over. Loading again and proceeding onwards, we passed three small rapids, the " Tatu " (Armadillo), "Ocokf" (a fruit), and "Pirantera" (a fish) caxoeiras; and our additional Indians here left us, with their payment of fish-hooks and arrow-heads, as we now had only smooth water before us. In the afternoon we passed a malocca, where one of the Indians wished to land to see his friends ; and as we did not stay, at night he took his departure, and we saw no more of him.

Early the next morning we reached Muciira, where two young Brazilians, whom I had met with below, were residing, trading for salsa. I was now in the country of the painted turtle and the white umbrella-bird, and I determined to make a stay of at least a fortnight, to try and obtain these much- desired rarities.

Messrs. Nicolau and Bellarmine were both out, and their little palm-leaf huts were evidently quite inadequate to my accom- modation. The only other house was a small Indian malocca, also made entirely of " pallia ; " and I agreed with the owner to let me have half of it, giving him a small knife and mirror in payment, with which he was well contented. We accordingly cleared and swept out our part of the house, unloaded and arranged our things, and I then sent my guardas to a malocca, in which there were said to be plenty of Indians, to see if they had any farinha or pacovas to dispose of; and also to let them know that I would purchase birds, or fish, or any other animals they could obtain for me. The men were all out; but the same afternoon they came in great force to see the " Branco," and make an attack on my fish-hooks and beads, bringing me fish, pacovas, farinha, and mandiocca-cake, for all of which one of these two articles was asked in exchange.

I was now settled at the limit of my expedition, for I could not think of going a week further up only to see Juruparf caxoeira, — wasting the little time I had to rest, before again descending. We had made a favourable voyage, without any serious accident, up a river perhaps unsurpassed for the difficulties and dangers of its navigation. We had passed fifty caxoeiras, great and small ; some mere rapids, others furious cataracts, and some nearly perpendicular falls. About twenty were rapids, up which, by the help of a long sipo attached to the canoe, instead of a rope, we were pulled without much difficulty. About eighteen were very bad and dangerous, re-


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 1852.] AN INDIAN FAMILY. 247

quiring the canoe to be partially unloaded where practicable, and all the exertions of my Indians, often with additional assistance, to pass ; and twelve were so high and furious as to require the canoe to be entirely unloaded, and either pulled over the dry and often very precipitous rocks, or with almost equal difficulty up the margin of the fall. At Carurii, as I have said, four-and-twenty men were scarcely able to pull my empty canoe over the rock, though plentifully strewn with branches and bushes, to smooth the asperities which would otherwise much damage the bottom : this was the reason why I purchased the Tushaua's smaller oba, to proceed; and it was well I did, or I might otherwise have had to return without ever reaching the locality I had at length attained.

The next day, the 13th, I was employed drawing some new fish brought me the preceding evening. My hunters went out and brought me nothing but a common hawk. In the afternoon, the father and brother of the Indian I had found in the house, arrived, with their wives and families ; so now, with my six Indians and two hunters, we were pretty full ; some of them, however, slept in a shed, and we were as comfortably accommodated as could be expected. The wives of the father and two sons were perfectly naked, and were, moreover, apparently quite unconscious of the fact. The old woman possessed a " saia," or petticoat, which she sometimes put on, and seemed then almost as much ashamed of herself as civilised people would be if they took theirs off. So power- ful is the effect of education and habit !

Having been told by Senhor Chagas that there was an excellent hunter in the Codiari, a river which enters from the north a short distance above Muciira, I sent Philippe, one of my guardas, to try and engage him, and also to buy all the living birds and animals he could meet with. The following day he returned, bringing with him one " Macaco barrigudo " (Lagothrix Humboldtii), and a couple of parrots. On most days I had a new fish or two to figure, but birds and insects were very scarce. This day Senhor Nicolau returned. On my first arrival I had been told that he had a "tataruga pintata " (painted turtle) for me, but that he would give it me himself on his arrival ; so I did not meddle with it, though my Indians saw it in a " corral," in a small stream near the house. On arriving, he sent to fetch it, but found it had escaped,


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though it had been seen in its cage on the preceding day. I thus lost perhaps my only chance of obtaining a much-desired and probably undescribed river turtle, as the time of egg-laying was past, and they had now retired into the lakes, and become very scarce and difficult to be met with.

As my Indians were here doing nothing, I sent three of them with Sebastiao up the Codiari, with beads, hooks, mirrors, etc., to buy monkeys, parrots, or whatever else they could meet with, as well as some farinha, which I did not wish to be in want of again. I sent them with instructions to go for five or six days, in order to reach the last stitio, and purchase all that was to be had. In two days, however, they returned, having been no further than Philippe had gone, Sebastiao saying that his companions would not go on. He brought me some parrots and small birds, bows, bird-skins, and more farinha than my canoe would carry, all purchased very dearly, judging by the remnant of articles brought back.

Being now in a part of the country that no European traveller had ever before visited, I exceedingly regretted my want of instruments to determine the latitude, longitude, and height above the sea. The two last I had no means whatever of ascertaining, having broken my boiling-point thermometer, and lost my smaller one, without having been able to replace either. I once thought of sealing up a flask of air, by accurately weighing which on my return, the density of air at that particular time would be obtained, and the height at which a barometer would have stood might be deduced. But, besides that this would only give a result equal to that of a single barometer observation, there were insuperable difficulties in the way of sealing up the bottle, for whether sealing-wax or pitch were used, or even should the bottle be hermetically sealed, heat must be applied, and at the moment of application would, of course, rarefy the air within the bottle, and so produce in such a delicate operation very erroneous results. My observations, however, on the heights of the falls we passed, would give their sum as about two hundred and fifty feet ; now if we add fifty for the fall of the river between them, we shall obtain three hundred feet, as the probable height of the point I reached above the mouth of the river ; and, as I have every reason to believe that that is not five hundred feet above the sea, we shall obtain eight hundred feet as the probable limit of


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 1852.] DISAPPOINTMENTS. 249

the height of the river above the sea-level, at the point I reached. Nothing, however, can accurately determine this fact, but a series of barometer or " boiling-point " observations ; and to determine this height above the next great fall, and ascertain the true course and sources of this little-known but interesting and important river, would be an object worth the danger and expense of the voyage.

There is said to be a week's smooth water above this place, to the Jurupari caxoeira, which is higher than any below it ; and above this no other fall has been found, though traders have been ten or fifteen days up. They say the river still keeps as wide or wider than below, — that the water is as " white," or muddy, as that of the Solimoes, — that many trees, birds, and fish peculiar to the Solimoes are there found, — that the Indians have Spanish knives, ponchos, and coins, — and relate that, higher up, there are extensive " campos," with cattle, and men on horseback. All these interesting particulars seem to show that the river has its sources in the great plains which extend to the base of the Andes, somewhere near where the sources of the Guaviare are placed in most maps; but the latter river, from all the information I can obtain, is much smaller, and has a much shorter course. Having only a pocket surveying sextant, without any means of viewing two objects much differing in brilliancy, I endeavoured to obtain the latitude as accurately as I could, first by means of the zenith-distance at noon, obtained by a plumb-line and image of the sun, formed by a lens of about fifteen inches focus ; and afterwards, by the meridian altitude of a star, obtained on a calm night, by reflection in a cuya of water. I took much care to ensure an accurate result, and have every reason to believe that the mean of the two observations will not be more than two or three minutes from the truth.

My expectations of finding rare and handsome birds here were quite disappointed. My hunter and Senhor Nicolau killed a few umbrella-birds of the Rio Negro species ; but of the white bird such contradictory statements were given, — many knowing nothing whatever about it, others saying that it was sometimes, but very rarely seen, — that I am inclined to think it is a mere white variety, such as occurs at times with our blackbirds and starlings at home, and as are sometimes found among the curassow-birds and agoutis. Another bird,


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which I had been long searching for, the " anambe de catinga," a species of Cyanurus, was here shot ; and before leaving, I obtained four or five specimens of it, and as many of the commoner black-headed species. One or two small birds, new to me, were also obtained ; and these, with two or three scarce butterflies, and about a dozen new species of fish, composed my natural-history collections in this remote and unvisited district. This was entirely owing, however, to my unfortunate and unforeseen illness, for birds in great variety had been very abundant, but the time of the fruit was now over ; fish and turtles, too, were in extraordinary plenty at the commencement of the fall of the river, two months back; and during that period, constituting the short summer in these districts, while I lay half dead at Sao Joaquim, insects were doubtless more numerous.

But as there was now no remedy I made myself as contented as I could, and endeavoured at least to complete my collection of the arms, implements, and ornaments of the natives. The Indians here were mostly " Cobeus," and I obtained several of their peculiar ornaments and dresses, to add to my collection. I also took advantage of the visit of a Tushaiia, or chief, who well understood the Lingoa Geral, to obtain a vocabulary of their language.

Just as I was about to leave on my voyage down, I received a note from Senhor Chagas, requesting, in the name of Tenente Jesuino, the loan of my canoe, to ascend higher up the river ; which, as the time of his stay was very uncertain, I was obliged to refuse. This Tenente, an ignorant half-breed, was sent by the new Barra government to bring all the Tushatfas, or chiefs, of the Uaupes and Isanna rivers to Barra, to receive diplomas and presents. An Indian, sent by him, had arrived at Caruni caxoeira, and wished to buy the oba" of the Tushaiia, after I had paid for and got possession of it, and even had the impudence to request me to give it back again, in order that he might purchase or borrow it ; and my refusal was, of course, quite sufficient seriously to offend the said Tenente.

On the 25th, having been just a fortnight at Mucura, I left, much disappointed with regard to the collections I had made there. The same day I reached Uarucapurf, whence I could not proceed without a pilot, as the falls below are very dangerous. There was hardly a male in the village, Messrs.


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 1852.] RETURN TO UARUCAPURI. 251

Jesuino and Chagas having taken all with them up the river, to assist in an attack on an Indian tribe, the " Carapanas," where they hoped to get a lot of women, boys, and children, to take as presents to Barra. There was scarcely anything to be had to eat : fish were not to be caught, though we sent our Indians out every day ; and though fowls were abundant, their owners were out, and those in charge of them would not sell them. At length, after four days, I succeeded in persuading the son of the Tushaua to go with me as pilot to Jauarite, he not being able to resist the knives, beads, and mirror, which I spread out before him.

I had collected scarcely anything in this place, but a single specimen of the beautiful and rare topaz-throated hummer {Trochilus pyra) and a new butterfly of the genus Callithea. I heard of the handsome bronze Jacana being found here, but my hunters searched for it in vain.

On the morning after we left, we saw a fine deer on a sand- bank near us, so I sent Manoel into the forest to get behind it, while we remained quietly watching from the canoe. After walking about the beach a short time, it took to the water to cross the river, when "we followed in pursuit ; and, notwith- standing its turnings and doublings, soon came up, — when the poor animal was despatched by a blow on the head, and pulled into the canoe. The Indians then went briskly on, rejoicing in the certainty of a dinner for the next day or two, in which I heartily joined them. At Tapioca caxoeira we stayed two hours, to cook and salt the deer, and descended the fall without any accident.

On April 1st we passed a host of falls, shooting most of them amidst fearful waves and roaring breakers, and arrived safely at Caruru, where the Tushaua gave us his house ; for, having two canoes, we were obliged to wait to get more Indians. I was still too weak to go out into the forest ; and, besides, had my live stock to attend to, which now consisted of four monkeys, about a dozen parrots, and six or eight small birds. It was a constant trouble to get food for them in sufficient variety, and to prevent them from escaping. Most of the birds are brought up without being confined, and if placed in a cage, attempt constantly to get out, and refuse food till they die ; if, on the other hand, they are loose, they wander about to the Indians' houses, or into the forest, and


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are often lost. I here had two new toldas made to my canoes, but all attempts to hire men were fruitless. Fowls and fish were tolerably abundant, so we were better off than at Uarucapurf.

On the 4th, in the afternoon, Senhors Jesuino and Chagas arrived with a whole fleet of canoes, and upwards of twenty prisoners, all, but one, women and children. Seven men and one woman had been killed ; the rest of the men escaped ; but only one of the attacking party was killed. The man was kept bound, and the women and children well guarded, and every morning and evening they were all taken down to the river to bathe. At night there was abundance of caxiri and caxaca drunk in honour of the new-comers, and all the inhabitants assembled in the great house. I spoke to Jesuino about obtaining some Indians for me, which he promised to do. Next morning, however, his first act was to summon my pilot, and scold him for coming with me at all, — frightening the poor fellow so, that he immediately went off with his father down the river. Before he had left, however, having been told by my guardas what was going on, I applied to Jesuino about the matter, when he denied having said anything to the pilot, but refused to call him back, or make him fulfil his engagement with me. Soon after Jesuino left, having first sent five Indians to take me to Jauarite ; so I started immedi- ately after him. The men, however, had had instructions to go with me only a short distance, and then leave me where I could not procure any more ; and about noon, much to my surprise, they got into a little oba, and intimated their intention to return, saying that they had only been told to come so far. I had overtaken Jesuino at this place, and now appealed to him ; but though the men would have immediately obeyed an order from him he refused to give it, telling me that he had put them in my canoe, and now I must arrange with them as well as I could. I accordingly told the Indians, that if they came on with me to Jauarite, I would pay them well, but that, if they left me at this place, they should not have a single fish-hook ; but they knew very well what Senhor Jesuino wanted, so without another word they paddled off, leaving me to get on as I could. I had now only one man and one boy in each canoe, to pass rapids which required six or eight good paddles to shoot with safety ; but staying here was useless, so


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 iSS2.] VOYAGE TO JAUARITE. 253

we went on, — drifting down the stream after Senhor Jesuino, who, no doubt, rejoiced in the idea that I should probably lose my canoes, if not my life, in the caxoeiras, and thought himself well revenged on the stranger who had dared to buy the canoe he had wanted to purchase.

In the afternoon we passed a caxoeira with considerable danger, and then, luckily, persuaded some Indians at a sitio to come with us to Jauarite. In the afternoon I stayed at several houses, purchasing fowls, parrots, bows and arrows and feathers ; and at one of them I found my runaway pilot, and made him give me two baskets of farinha, instead of the pay- ment he had received for the voyage from Caruru to Jauarite. At the last caxoeira, close to Jauarite, we were very near losing our canoe, which was let down by a rope, I remaining in it ; but just in passing, it got twisted broadside, and the water rushing up from the bottom, had the curious effect of pushing it up against the fall, where it remained a considerable time completely on one side, and appearing as if every minute it would turn over. However, at last it was got out, and we reached the village, much to the surprise of Senhor Jesuino, who had arrived there but a few hours before us. My friend Senhor Augustinho, of Sao Jeronymo, was also there, and I spent the evening pleasantly with them.

I found that we differed in our calculations of the date, there being a day's difference in our reckonings of the day of the week and the day of the month. As I had been three months up the river, it was to be supposed I was wrong ; yet as I had kept a regular diary all the voyage, I could not at all make out how I had erred. This, however, is a common thing in these remote districts. When two parties meet, one going up and the other coming down the river, the first inquiry of the latter, after the usual compliments, is, " What day is it with you ? " and it not unfrequently happens, that there are three parties present, all of whom make it different days ; and then there is a comparison of authorities, and a determination of past Saints' days, in order to settle the correction of the disputed calendar. When at Caturu caxoeira, we had found that Messrs. Jesuino and Chagas differed from us on this important particular ; but as they had been some time out, we thought they might have erred as well as ourselves. Now, however, that Senhor Augustinho, who had recently come from


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 254 TRAVELS ON THE RIO NEGRO. [April,

Sao Gabriel, whence he had brought the correct date, agreed with them, there was no withstanding such authority. A minute examination of my diary was made, and it was then found that on our first stay at Caruru we had reckoned our delay there as five days instead of six. The Indians generally keep accounts of the time very accurately on a voyage, by cutting notches on a stick, as boys do at school on the approach of the holidays. In our case, however, even they were most of them wrong, for some of them agreed with me, while others made a day in advance, and others again a day behind us, so that we got completely confused. Sometmies the traders residing at the Indian villages pass many months, without seeing a person from any civilised part, and get two or three days out in their reckonings. Even in more populous places, where all the inhabitants depend on the priest or the commandante, errors have been made, and Sundays and Saints' days have been desecrated, while Mondays and common days have been observed in their place, much to the horror of all good Catholics.

The next morning I took a turn round the village, — bought some paroquets and parrots, and some feather ornaments and small pots, of the Tushaua ; and then, having nothing to keep me at Jauarite, and having vainly endeavoured to get some Indians to go with me, I left for Sao Jeronymo. On arriving at the first great fall of Pinupinu, we found only one Indian, and were obliged to send to the village for more. That afternoon they did not cnoose to come, and we lost a beautiful day. The next morning, as was to be expected, commenced a soaking rain ; but as the Indians arrived we went on, and about noon, the rain clearing off a little, we passed the fall of Panore, and arrived safely at the village of Sao Jeronymo. Here we disembarked, and unloaded our canoes, taking possession of the doorless " casa da nacjio," and made up our minds to remain quietly till we should get men to go down the river.

The same afternoon Jesuino arrived, and the next morning left, — kindly inquiring when I intended to proceed, and saying, he had spoken with the Tushaua to get me Indians. In two days, however, the Tushaiia also left for Barra, without giving me a single Indian, notwithstanding the promises and threats I had alternately employed.


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 1852.] CORRECTING THE CALENDAR. 255

The two Indians who had remained with me now left, and the two boys who had come from Sao Joaquim ran away, leaving me alone in my glory, with my two "guardas" and two canoes. In vain I showed my axes, knives, beads, mirrors, and cloth, to every passing Indian ; not one could be induced to go with me, and I might probably have remained prisoner there for months, had not Senhor Victorino, the " Juiz de Paz," arrived, and also Bernado, my old pilot, who had left me at Jauarite, and had now been down to Sao Joaquim. Between them, after a delay of several more days, some Indians were persuaded to receive payment to go with me as far as Castanheiro, where I hoped to get Capitao Ricardo to order them on to Barra.


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 1852.J DESCENDING THE RIVER. 257

ensured my passage to Barra without further delays, a point on which I had been rather uneasy. Leaving Sao Gabriel I stayed for the night at the house of Senhor Victorino, of whom I bought several green parrots, and a beautiful " anaca," or purple and red-necked crested parrot, in place of the one which had gone overboard while passing the falls at Sao Gabriel. The following day I reached the house of Senhor Palheta, and thought myself fortunate to purchase of him another anaca for seven shillings ; but the very next morning it died from cold, having flown into the river, and become completely chilled before it could be rescued.

On the 2nd of May I arrived at the sitio of my old friend Senhor Chagas, who made me breakfast with him, and sold me some farinha, coffee, and a lot of guinea-fowls' eggs ; and embraced me with great affection at parting, wishing me every happiness. The same night I reached Castanheiro, where I particularly wished to get a pilot, to take me down the east bank of the river, for the purpose of making a sketch-survey of that side, and ascertaining the width of this extraordinary stream. Senhor Ricardo, who is the Capitao dos Trabalha- dores, immediately gave me an order to embark a man, whose house I should pass the next day, and who, he said, was per fectly acquainted with that side of the river. After breakfast- ing with him the next morning, I left, well satisfied to have a prospect of accomplishing this long-cherished scheme. On arriving at the house, however, it was empty, and there was no sign of it having been inhabited for some weeks, so that I had to give up all hopes of completing my project.

I applied again to the Subdelegarde, Joao Cordeiro, whose house I reached the next day, and also to the lieutenant of Senhor Ricardo, but without effect ; all making the usual reply, " Nao ha gente nenhum aqui " (there is not a single person about there) ; so I was reluctantly compelled to proceed down the river by the same course which I had already traversed three times, as, by attempting to go on the other route without a pilot, I might lose my way, and not get to Barra for a month.

The fever and ague now attacked me again, and I passed several days very uncomfortably. We had almost constant rains ; and to attend to my numerous birds and animals was a great annoyance, owing to the crowded state of the canoe, and the impossibility of properly cleaning them during the rain.

17


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Some died almost every day, and I often wished I had had nothing whatever to do with them, though, having once taken them in hand, I determined to persevere.

On the 8th I reached Barcellos, and here I was annoyed by having to give an account of what I had in my canoes, and pay duty, the new Government of Barra not allowing anything to escape without contributing its share.

On the nth we passed the "mouth of the Rio Branco, and I noticed for the first time the peculiar colour of the water, which is a very pale yellow-olive, almost milky, very different from, and much whiter than, the waters of the Amazon, and making its name of the " White River " very appropriate. In the dry season the waters are much clearer.

In the morning I reached Pedreiro, and purchased a turtle, which we stopped to cook, a short distance below the village ; it was a very large and fat one, and we fried the greater part of the meat in fat for the rest of the voyage. At a sitio, in the evening, I bought two parrots, and the next morning, at Ayrao, five more ; and in the afternoon, at another sitio, a blue macaw, a monkey, a toucan, and a pigeon. At night we had a storm of rain and wind, and for a long time beat about in the middle of the river, tossed by the waves, without being able to find the shore.

On the 15th we reached " Ai purusa," where I bought some fish and maize. Here was lying a fine harpy eagle, which Senhor Bagatta had shot the day before, and, having plucked out some of the wing-feathers, had left it to rot ; I thus just missed, by a day, getting a specimen of this bird, which I so much desired, and which I had never been able to procure during a four years' residence in the country. We had plenty more rain every night, making the journey very disagreeable ; and at length, on the 17th, reached Barra do Rio Negro, now the capital of the new Province of Amazonas.

I was here kindly received by my friend Henrique Antony ; and I spent all the day in searching for some house or lodging, which was very hard to be procured, every house being occupied, and rents having much risen, from the influx of strangers and traders consequent on the arrival of the new Government. However, by the evening I succeeded in getting a small mud- floored, leaky-roofed room, which I was glad to hire, as I did pot know how long I might be obliged to remain in Barra,


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 1852.] RETURN TO BARRA. 259

before I could obtain a passage to Para. The next morning I could not disembark my things till the new Custom-house opened, at nine o'clock ; when I had to pay duties on every article, even on my bird-skins, insects, stuffed alligators, etc., and so it was night before I got everything on shore. The next day I paid off my Indians, and settled myself to wait patiently and attend to my menagerie, till I could get a passage to Para.

For three weeks I had been nearly lame, with a sore and inflamed toe, into which the chegoes had burrowed under the nail, and rendered wearing a shoe, or walking, exceedingly pain- ful ; having been compelled to move about the last few days, it had inflamed and swelled, and I was now therefore glad to remain quietly at home, and by poultices and plaisters endeavour to cure it. During the short time the Indians had remained in charge of my canoe, while I was looking after a house, they had lost three of my birds ; but I soon found I had quite enough left to keep me constantly employed attending to them. My parrots, in particular, of which I had more than twenty, would persist in wandering about into the street, and I lost several of my best, which were, no doubt, safely domiciled in some of the adjoining houses. I was much annoyed, too, by persons constantly coming to me, to sell them parrots or monkeys ; and my repeated assurances, that I myself wanted to buy more, did not in the least check the pertinacity of .my would-be customers.

The city was now full of fashionably-dressed young men, who received the public money for services they did not know how to perform. Many of them could not fill up a few dozen words in a printed form without making blunders, or in a shorter time than two or three hours ; their contemplations seem- ing scarcely to rise beyond their polished-leather boots and gold watch-chains. As it was necessary to get a passport, I presented myself at the office of the " Chef de Policia," for the purpose ; but was told that I must first advertise my intention of leaving in the newspaper. I accordingly did so, and about a week after went again. I was now requested to bring a formal application in writing, to have a passport granted me : I returned, and prepared one, and the next day went with it ; now the Chef was engaged, and he must sign the requisition before anything else could be done. J called again the next


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day, and now that the requisition was signed, I had a blank form given me to go and get stamped in another office, in a distant part of the city. Off I had to go, — get the stamp, which took two clerks to sign, and paid my eight vintems for it ; armed with this,. I returned to the police-office, and now, to my surprise, the passport was actually made out and given me ; and on paying another twelve vintems (sixpence), I was at liberty to leave Barra whenever I could ; for as to leaving it whenever I pleased, that was out of the question.

The city of Barra, the capital of the Province and the residence of the President, was now in a very miserable con- dition. No vessel had arrived from Para for five months, and all supplies were exhausted. Flour had been long since finished, consequently there was no bread ; neither was there biscuit, butter, sugar, cheese, wine, nor vinegar; molasses even, to sweeten our coffee, was very scarce ; and the spirit of the country (caxaga) was so nearly exhausted, that it could only be obtained retail, and in the smallest quantities : everybody was reduced to farinha and fish, with beef twice a week, and turtle about as often. This state of destitution was owing to there having been a vessel lost a month before, near Barra, which was coming from Para ; and at this time of the year, when the river is full, and the winds adverse, the passage frequently takes from seventy days to three months, — having to be per- formed almost entirely by warping with a rope sent ahead in a canoe, against the powerful current of the Amazon. It may therefore be well imagined that Barra was not the most agree- able place in the world to reside in, when, joined to the total absence of amusement and society which universally prevails there, the want of the common necessaries of life had also to be endured.

Several vessels were leaving for Para, but all were so com- pletely filled as not to have room for me or my baggage ; and I had to wait in patience for the arrival of a small canoe from the Solimoes, in which Senhor Henrique guaranteed me a passage to Para.

Before proceeding with my journey, I will note the few observations that occur to me on the character and customs of the inhabitants of this fine country. I of course speak solely of the province of Pard, and it is probable that to the rest of Brazil my remarks may not in the least apply ; so different in


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 1852.] PORTUGUESE TRADERS. 261

every respect is this part of the Empire from the more southern and better-known portion. There is, perhaps, no country in the world so capable of yielding a large return for agricultural labour, and yet so little cultivated ; none where the earth will produce such a variety of valuable productions, and where they are so totally neglected ; none where the facilities for internal communication are so great, or where it is more difficult or tedious to get from place to place ; none which so much possesses all the natural requisites for an immense trade with all the world, and where commerce is so limited and insignifi- cant.

This may well excite some wonder, when we remember that the white inhabitants of this country are the Portuguese and their descendants, — the nation which a few centuries ago took the lead in all great discoveries and commercial enterprises, — which spread its colonies over the whole world, and exhibited the most chivalric spirit of enterprise in overcoming the dangers of navigation in unknown seas, and of opening a commercial intercourse with barbarous or uncivilised nations.

But yet, as far as I myself have been able to observe, their national character has not changed. The Portuguese, and their descendants, exhibit here the same perseverance, the same endurance of every hardship, and the same wandering spirit, which led and still leads them to penetrate into the most desolate and uncivilised regions in pursuit of commerce and in search of gold. But they exhibit also a distaste for agricultural and mechanical labour, which appears to have been ever a part of their national character, and which has caused them to sink to their present low condition in the scale of nations, in what- ever part of the world they may be found. When their colonies were nourishing in every quarter of the globe, and their ships brought luxuries for the supply of half the civilised world, a great part of their population found occupation in trade, in the distribution of that wealth which set in a constant stream from America, Asia, and Africa, to their shores ; but now that this stream has been diverted into other channels by the energy of the Saxon races, the surplus population, averse from agricul- ture, and unable to find a support in the diminished trade of the country, swarm to Brazil, in the hope that wealth may be found there, in a manner more congenial to their tastes.

Thus we find the province of Para overrun with traders, the


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greater part of whom deserve no better name than pedlars, only they carry their goods in a canoe instead of upon their backs. As their distaste for agriculture, or perhaps rather their passionate love of trade, allows scarcely any of them to settle, or produce anything for others to trade in, their only resource is in the indigenous inhabitants of the country ; and as these are also very little given to cultivation except to procure the mere necessaries of life, it results that the only articles of commerce are the natural productions of the country, to catch or collect which requires an irregular and wandering life, better suited to an Indian's habits than the settled and continued exertions of agriculture. These products are principally dried fish, and oil from the turtles' eggs and cOw-fish, for the inland trade ; and sarsaparilla, piassaba, india-rubber, Brazil-nuts, balsam of capivi, and cacao, for the exports. Though the coffee-plant and sugar-cane grow everywhere almost sponta- neously, yet coffee and sugar have to be imported from other parts of Brazil for home consumption. Beef is everywhere bad, principally because there are no good pastures near the towns where cattle brought from a distance can be fattened, and no one thinks of making them, though it might easily be done. Vegetables are also very scarce and dear, and so are all fruits, except such as the orange and banana, which once planted only require the produce to be gathered when ripe ; fowls in Para are 3^. 6d. each, and sugar as dear as in England. And all this because nobody will make it his business to supply any one of these articles ! There is a kind of gambling ex- citement in trade which outshines all the steady profits of labour, and regular mechanics are constantly leaving their business to get a few goods on credit and wander about the country trading.

There is, I should think, -no country where such a universal and insecure system of credit prevails as here. There is hardly a trader, great or small, in the country, that can be said to have any capital of his own. The merchants in Para, who have foreign correspondents, have goods out on credit ; they sell on credit to the smaller merchants or shopkeepers of Para ; these again supply on credit the negociantes in the country towns. From these last the traders up the different rivers get their supplies also on credit. These traders give small parcels of goods to half-civilised Indians, or to any one who will take


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 1852.] IMMORALITY, AND ITS CAUSES. 263

them, to go among the wild Indian tribes and buy up their produce. They, however, have to give credit to the Indians, who will not work till they have been paid six months beforehand ; and so they are paid for sarsaparilla or oil, which is still in the forest or the lake. And at every step of this credit there is not the slightest security ; and robbery, waste, and a profuse squandering away of the property of others, is of constant occurrence. To cover all these chances of loss, the profits are proportionably great at every step, and the consumer often has to pay two shillings a yard for calico worth twopence, and everything else in like proportion. It is these apparently enormous profits that lead mechanics and others into trade, as they; do not consider the very small business that can be done in a given time, owing to the poverty of the country and the enormous number of traders in proportion to the purchasers. It seems a very nice and easy way of getting a living, to sell goods at double the price you pay for them, and then again to sell the produce you receive at double what you pay for it ; but as the greater part of the small traders do not get rid of more than a hundred pounds' worth of goods in a year, and the expenses of Indians and canoes, their families and bad debts, wines and liquors, and the waste which always takes place where everything is obtained upon credit, are often double that sum, it is not to be wondered at that they are almost all of them constantly in debt to their correspondents, who, when they have once thus got a hold on them, do not allow them easily to get free.

It is this universal love of trade which leads, I think, to three great vices very prevalent here — drinking, gambling, and lying, — besides a whole host of trickeries, cheatings, and debaucheries of every description. The life of a river trader admits of little enjoyment to a man who has no intellectual resources ; it is not therefore to be wondered at that the greater part of these men are more or less addicted to intoxi- cation ; and when # they can supply themselves on credit with as much wine and spirits as they like, there is little inducement to break through the habit. A man who, if he had to pay ready money, would never think of drinking wine, when he can have it on credit takes twenty or thirty gallons with him in his canoe, which, as it has cost him nothing, is little valued, and he perhaps arrives at the end of his voyage without a drop.


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In the towns in the interior every shop sells spirits, and numbers of persons are all day drinking, taking a glass at every place they go to, and, by this constant dramming, ruining their health perhaps more than by complete intoxication at more distant intervals. Gambling is almost universal in a greater or less degree, and is to be traced to that same desire to gain money by some easier road than labour, which leads so many into commerce ; and the great number of traders, who have to get a living out of an amount of business which would not be properly sufficient for one-third the number, leads to the general use of trickery and lying of every degree, as fair means to be employed to entrap a new customer or to ruin a rival trader. Truth, in fact, in matters of business is so seldom made use of, that a lie seems to be preferred even when it can serve no purpose whatever, and where the person addressed must be perfectly aware of the falsehood of every asseveration made ; but Portuguese politeness does not permit him by word or look to throw any doubt on his friend's veracity. I have been often amused to hear two parties endeavouring to cheat each other, by assertions which each party knew to be perfectly false, and yet pretended to receive as undoubted fact.

On the subjects of the most prevalent kind of immorality, it is impossible to enter, without mentioning facts too disgusting to be committed to paper. Vices of such a description as at home are never even alluded to, are here the subjects of common conversation, and boasted of as meritorious acts, and no opportunity is lost of putting the vilest construction upon every word or act of a neighbour.

Among the causes which tend to promote the growth of such wide -spread immorality, we may perhaps reckon the geographical position and political condition of the country, and the peculiar state of civilisation in which it now exists. To a native, a tropical climate certainly offers fewer pleasures, pursuits, and occupations than a temperate one. The heat in the dry, and the moisture in the rainy season do not admit of the outdoor exercise and amusements, in which the inhabitants of a temperate zone can almost constantly indulge. The short twilights afford but a few moments between the glare of the descending sun and the darkness of night. Nature itself, dressed in an eternal and almost unchangeable garb of verdure, presents but a monotonous scene to him who has beheld it


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 1852.] VILLA NOVA. 265

from childhood. In the interior of the country there is not a road or path out of the towns, along which a person can walk with comfort or pleasure ; all is dense forest, or more impass- able clearings. Here are no flower-bespangled meadows, no turfy glades, or smooth shady walks to tempt the lover of nature ; here are no dry gravelled roads, where, even in the intervals of rain, we may find healthy and agreeable exercise ; here are no field-side paths among golden corn or luxuriant clover. Here are no long summer evenings, to wander in at leisure, and admire the slowly changing glories of the sunset ; nor long winter nights, with the blazing hearth, which, by drawing all the members of a family into close contact, pro- mote a social intercourse and domestic enjoyment, which the inhabitants of a tropical clime can but faintly realise.

At length the canoe arrived in which I was to go to Para, and I soon agreed for my passage, and set to work getting my things together. I had a great number of cases and boxes, six large ones which I had left with Senhor Henrique the year before, being still in his possession, because the great men of Barra were afraid they might contain contraband articles, and would not let them pass.

I now got them embarked, by making a declaration of their contents, and paying a small duty on them. Out of a hundred live animals which I had purchased or had had given to me, there now only remained thirty-four, consisting of five monkeys, two macaws, twenty parrots and paroquets of twelve different species, five small birds, a white-crested Brazilian pheasant, and a toucan.

On the 10th of June we left Barra, commencing our voyage very unfortunately for me ; for, on going on board, after bidding adieu to my friends, I missed my toucan, which had, no doubt, flown overboard, and not being noticed by any one, was drowned. This bird I esteemed very highly, as he was full- grown and very tame, and I had great hopes of bringing him alive to England.

On the 13th we reached Villa Nova, at which place, being the last in the new Province, we had to disembark to show our passports, as if entering into another kingdom ; and not content with this, there is another station half a day further down, on the exact boundary-line, where all vessels have to stay a second time, and again present their papers, as if the great object of