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caught a bough, in his descent, with his powerful claws, and remained suspended. Our Indian lad tried to climb the tree, but was driven back by swarms of stinging ants; the poor little fellow slid down in a sad predicament, and plunged into the brook to free himself. Two days afterward I found the body of the sloth on the ground: the animal having dropped on the relaxation of the muscles a few hours after death. In one of our voyages Mr. Wallace and I saw a sloth (B. infuscatus) swimming across a river, at a place where it was probably 300 yards broad. I believe it is not generally known that this animal takes to the water. Our men caught the beast, cooked, and ate him.

We

CHAPTER IX.

VOYAGE UP THE TAPAJOS.

One

Preparations for voyage-First day's sail-Loss of

boat-Altar do Chao-Modes of obtaining fish-Dif. ficulties with crew-Arrival at Aveyros-Excursions in the neighborhood-White Cebus and habits and dispositions of Cebi monkeys-Tame parrot-Missionary settlement-Enter the River Cuparí--Adven ture with an anaconda-Smoke-dried monkey-Bo constrictor-Village of Mundurucú Indians, and incursion of a wild tribe-Falls of the Cuparí - Hva cinthine macaw-Re-emerge into the broad Tapajor -Descent of river to Santarem.

distinguish from the surrounding soil. kind has a long forked tail. In the day-time they are concealed in the wooded ilhas, where I very often saw them crouched and sleeping on the ground in the dense shade. They make no nest, but lay their eggs on the bare ground. Their brecding time is in the rainy season, and fresh eggs are found from December to June. Later in the evening the singular notes of the goat-suckers are heard, one species crying Quao, Quao, another Chuck-co-co-cao; and these are repeated at intervals far into the night in the most monotonous manner. A great number of toads are seen on the bare sandy pathways SooL after sunset. One of them was quite a colos sus, about seven inches in length and three ir In returning from these trips we were height. This big fellow would never move sometimes benighted on the campos. out of the way until we were close to him. did not care for this on moonlit nights, when If we jerked him out of the path with a stick, there was no danger of losing the path. The he would slowly recover himself, and then great heat felt in the middle hours of the turn round to have a good impudent stare. day is much mitigated by four o'clock in the I have counted as many as thirty of these afternoon; a few birds then make their ap- monsters within a distance of half a mile. pearance; small flocks of ground doves run about the stony hillocks; parrots pass over and sometimes settle in the ilhas; pretty little finches of several species, especially one kind, streaked with olive-brown and yellow, and somewhat resembling our yellow-hammer, but, I believe, not belonging to the same genus, hop about the grass, enlivening the place with a few musical notes. The Carashué (Mimus) also then resumes its mellow blackbird-like song; and two or three species of humming-bird, none of which, however, are peculiar to the district, flit about from tree to tree. On the other hand, the little blue and yellow-striped lizards, which abound among the herbage during the scorching heats of mid-day, retreat toward this hour to their hiding places; together with the day-flying insects and the numerous vessel of my own; partly because trading I was obliged, this time, to travel in a campo-butterflies. Some of these latter re- canoes large enough to accommodate a natusemble greatly our English species found in ralist very seldom pass between Santarem healthy places, namely, a fritillary, Argynnis and the thinly-peopled settlements on the (Euptoieta) Hegesia, and two smaller kinds, river, and partly because I wished to exwhich are deceptively like the little Nemeo- plore districts at my ease far out of the bius Lucina. After sunset the air becomes ordinary track of traders. I soon found a delightfully cool and fragrant with the aroma suitable canoe-a two-masted cuberta, of of fruits and flowers. The nocturnal ani- about six tons' burden, strongly built of mals then come forth. A monstrous hairy Itaüba or stonewood, a timber of which all spider, five inches in expanse, of a brown the best vessels in the Amazons country are color, with yellowish lines along its stout legs which is very common here, inhabit ing broad tubular galleries smoothly lined with silken web-may be then caught on the watch at the mouth of its burrow. It is only seen at night, and I think does not wander far from its den; the gallery is about two inches in diameter, and runs in a slanting direction, about two feet from the surface of the soil. As soon as it is night, swarms of goat-suckers suddenly make their appearance, wheeling about in a noiseless, ghostly manner, in chase of night-flying in sects. They sometimes descend and settle on a low branch, or even on the pathway close to where one is walking, and then, squatting down on their heels, are difficult to

June, 1852.-I will now proceed to re late the incidents of my principal excursion up the Tapajos, which I began to prepare for after residing about six months at Santarem.

constructed, and said to be more durable than teak. This I hired of a merchant at the cheap rate of 500 reis, or about one shilling and twopence per day. I fitted up the cabin, which, as usual in canoes of this class, was a square structure with its floor above the water-line, as my sleeping and working apartments. My chests, filled with store-boxes and trays for specimens, were arranged on each side, and above them were shelves and pegs to hold my little stock of useful books, guns, and game bags, boards and materials for skinning and preserving animals, botanical press and papers, drying cages for insects and birds, and so forth. A rush mat was spread on the floor, and my rolled-up hammock, to be used only when

sleeping ashore, served for a pillow. The This forms the limit of the river view from arched covering over the hold in the forepart Santarem, and here we had our last glimpse, of the vessel contained, besides a sleeping at a distance of seven or eight miles, of the place for the crew, my heavy chests, stock of city, a bright line of tiny white buildings salt provisions and groceries, and an assort- resting on the dark water. A stretch of wild, ment of goods wherewith to pay my way rocky, uninhabited coast was before us, and among the half-civilized or savage inhabit- we were fairly within the Tapajos. ants of the interior. The goods consisted Our course lay due west for about twenty of caschaça, powder and shot, a few pieces miles. The wind increased as we neared of coarse checked-cotton cloth and prints, Point Cururú, where the river bends from fish-hooks, axes, large knives, harpoons, its northern course. A vast expanse of arrow heads, looking glasses, beads, and other water here stretches to the west and south, small wares. José and myself were busy and the waves with a strong breeze run very for many days arranging these matters. We high. As we were doubling the point the had to salt the meat and grind a supply of cable which held our montaria in tow astern coffee ourselves. Cooking utensils, crock-parted, and in endeavoring to recover the ery, water jars, a set of useful carpenter's boat, without which we knew it would be tools, and many other things had to be pro- difficult to get ashore on many parts of the vided. We put all the groceries and other coast, we were very near capsizing. We perishable articles in tin canisters and boxes, tried to tack down the river, a vain attempt having found that this was the only way of with a strong breeze and no current. Our preserving them from d mp and insects in ropes snapped, the sails flew to rags, and this climate. When all was done, our canoe the vessel, which we now found was defilooked like a little floating workshop. cient in ballast, heeled over frightfully. Contrary to José's advice, I ran the cuberta into a little bay, thinking to cast anchor there and wait for the boat coming up with the wind; but the anchor dragged on the smooth sandy bottom, and the vessel went broadside on to the rocky beach. With a little dexterous management, but not until after we had sus tained some severe bumps, we managed to get out of this difficulty, clearing the rocky point at a close shave with our jib-sail. Soon after we drifted into the smooth water of a sheltered bay, which leads to the charmningly situated village of Altar do Chao; and we were obliged to give up our attempt to recover the montaria.

I could get little information about the river, except vague accounts of the difficulty of the navigation and the famito or hunger which reigned on its banks. As I have before mentioned, it is about a thousand miles in length, and flows from south to north; in magnitude it stands the sixth among the tributaries of the Amazons. It is navigable, however, by sailing vessels only for about 160 miles above Santarem. The hiring of men to navigate the vessel was our greatest trouble. José was to be my helmsman, and we thought three other hands would be the fewest with which we could venture. But all our endeavors to procure these were fruitless. Santarem is worse provided with Indian canoemen than any other town on the river. I found on applying to the tradesmen to whom I had brought letters of introduction, and to the Brazilian authorities, that almost any favor would be sooner granted than the loan of hands. A stranger, however, is obliged to depend on them; for it is impossible to find an Indian or halfcaste whom some one or other of the headmen do not claim as owing him money or labor. I was afraid at one time I should have been forced to abandon my project on this account. At length, after many rebuffs and disappointments, José contrived to engage one man, a mulattto, named Pinto, a native of the mining country of Interior Brazil, who knew the river well; and with these two I resolved to start, hoping to meet with others at the first village on the road.

We left Santarem on the 8th of June. The waters were then at their highest point, and my canoe had been anchored close to the back door of our house. The morning was cool, and a brisk wind blew, with which we sped rapidly past the whitewashed houses and thatched Indian huts of the suburbs. The charming little bay of Mapiré was soon left behind; we then doubled Point Maria Josepha, a headland formed of high cliffs of Tabatinga clay, cupped with forest.

The little settlement, Altar do Chao (Altar of the ground, or Earth altar), owes its singu lar name to the existence, at the entrance to the harbor, of one of those strange flattopped hills which are so common in this part of the Amazons country, shaped like the high altar in Roman Catholic churches. It is an isolated one, and much lower in height than the similarly truncated hills and ridges near Almeyrim, being elevated probably not more than 300 feet above the level of the river. It is bare of trees, but covered in places with a species of fern. At the head of the bay is an inner harbor, which communicates by a channel with a series of lakes lying in the valleys between hills, and stretching far into the interior of the land. The village is peopled almost entirely by semi-civilized Indians, to the number of sixty or seventy families; and the scattered houses are arranged in broad streets on a strip of greensward, at the foot of a high, gloriously wooded ridge.

I was so much pleased with the situation of this settlement, and the number of rare birds and insects which tenanted the forest, that I revisited it in the following year, and spent four months making collections. The houses in the village swarmed with vermin ; bats in the thatch; fire-ants (formiga de fogo) under the floors; cockroaches and spiders

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sleeping ashore, served for a pillow. The arched covering over the hold in the forepart of the vessel contained, besides a sleeping place for the crew, my heavy chests, stock of salt provisions and groceries, and an assortment of goods wherewith to pay my way among the half-civilized or savage inhabit ants of the interior. The goods consisted of caschaça, powder and shot, a few pieces of coarse checked-cotton cloth and prints, fish-hooks, axes, large knives, harpoons, arrow heads, looking glasses, beads, and other small wares. José and myself were busy for many days arranging these matters. We had to salt the meat and grind a supply of coffee ourselves. Cooking utensils, crockery, water jars, a set of useful carpenter's tools, and many other things had to be provided. We put all the groceries and other perishable articles in tin canisters and boxes, having found that this was the only way of preserving them from d mp and insects in this climate. When all was done, our canoe looked like a little floating workshop.

I could get little information about the river, except vague accounts of the difficulty of the navigation and the famito or hunger which reigned on its banks. As I have before mentioned, it is about a thousand miles in length, and flows from south to north; in magnitude it stands the sixth among the tributaries of the Amazons. It is navigable, however, by sailing vessels only for about 160 miles above Santarem. The hiring of men to navigate the vessel was our greatest trouble. José was to be my helmsman, and we thought three other hands would be the fewest with which we could venture. But all our endeavors to procure these were fruitless. Santarem is worse provided with Indian canoemen than any other town on the river. I found on applying to the tradesmen to whom I had brought letters of introduction, and to the Brazilian authorities, that almost any favor would be sooner granted than the loan of hands. A stranger, however, is obliged to depend on them; for it is impossible to find an Indian or halfcaste whom some one or other of the headmen do not claim as owing him money or labor. I was afraid at one time I should have been forced to abandon my project on this account. At length, after many rebuffs and disappointments, José contrived to engage one man, a mulattto, named Pinto, a native of the mining country of Interior Brazil, who knew the river well; and with ese two I resolved to start, hoping to meet theothers at the first village on the road.

Ct Santarem on the 8th of June.

vere then at their highest point, e had been anchored close to of our house. The morning a brisk wind blew, with which idly past the whitewashed atched Indian huts of the subharming little bay of Mapiré ehind; we then doubled Point a, a headland formed of high tinga clay, cupped with forest.

This forms the limit of the river view from Santarem, and here we had our last glimpse, at a distance of seven or eight miles, of the city, a bright line of tiny white buildings resting on the dark water. A stretch of wild, rocky, uninhabited coast was before us, and we were fairly within the Tapajos.

Our course lay due west for about twenty miles. The wind increased as we neared Point Cururú, where the river bends from its northern course. A vast expanse of water here stretches to the west and south, and the waves with a strong breeze run very high. As we were doubling the point the cable which held our montaria in tow astern parted, and in endeavoring to recover the boat, without which we knew it would be difficult to get ashore on many parts of the coast, we were very near capsizing. We tried to tack down the river, a vain attempt with a strong breeze and no current. Our ropes snapped, the sails flew to rags, and the vessel, which we now found was deficient in ballast, heeled over frightfully. Contrary to José's advice, I ran the cuberta into a little bay, thinking to cast anchor there and wait for the boat coming up with the wind; but the anchor dragged on the smooth sandy bottom, and the vessel went broadside on to the rocky beach. With a little dexterous management, but not until after we had sus tained some severe bumps, we managed to get out of this difficulty, clearing the rocky point at a close shave with our jib-sail. Soon after we drifted into the smooth water of a sheltered bay, which leads to the charmingly situated village of Altar do Chao; and we were obliged to give up our attempt to recover the montaria.

The little settlement, Altar do Chao (Altar of the ground, or Earth altar), owes its singu lar name to the existence, at the entrance to the harbor, of one of those strange flattopped hills which are so common in this part of the Amazons country, shaped like the high altar in Roman Catholic churches. It is an isolated one, and much lower in height than the similarly truncated hills and ridges near Almeyrim. being elevated probably not more than 300 feet above the level of the river. It is bare of trees, but covered in places with a species of fern. At the head of the bay is an inner harbor, which communicates by a channel with a series of lakes lying in the valleys between hills, and stretching far into the interior of the land. The village is peopled almost entirely by semi-civilized Indians, to the number of sixty or seventy families; and the scattered houses are arranged in broad streets on a strip of greensward, at the foot of a high, gloriously wooded ridge.

I was so much pleased with the situation of this settlement, and the number of rare birds and insects which tenanted the forest, that I revisited it in the following year, and spent four months making collections. The houses in the village swarmed with vermin bats in the thatch; fire-ants (formiga de fogo) under the floors; cockroaches and spiders

on the W... S. Very few of them had wooden doors and locks. Altar do Chao was originally a settlement of the aborigines, and was called Burarí. As in all the semi-civilized villages, where the original orderly and industrious habits of the Indian have been lost without anything being learned from the whites to make amends, the inhabitants live in the greatest poverty. The scarcity of fish in the clear waters and rocky bays of the neighborhood is no doubt partly the cause of the poverty and perennial hunger which reign here. When we arrived in the port our canoe was crowded with the half-naked villagers-men, women, and children-who came to beg each a piece of salt pirarucu for the love of God." They are not quite so badly off in the dry season. The shallow lakes and bays then contain plenty of fish, and the boys and women go out at night to spear them by torchlight, the torches being made of thin strips of green bark from the leaf-stalks of palms, tied in bundles. Many excellent kinds of fish are thus obtained, among them the Pescada, whose white and flaky flesh, when boiled, has the appearance and flavor of codfish; and the Tucunaré (Cichla temensis), a handsome species with a large prettily-colored eye-like spot on its tail. Many small Salmonide are also met with, and a kind of solc, called Aramassá, which moves along the clear sandy bottom of the bay. At these times a species of sting-ray is common on the sloping beach, and bathers are frequently stung most severely by it. The weapon of this fish is a strong blade with jagged edges, about three inches long, growing from the side of the long fleshy tail. once saw a woman wounded by it while bathing; she shrieked frightfully, and was obliged to be carried to her hammock, where she lay for a week in great pain. I have known strong men to be lamed for many months by the sting.

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There was a mode of taking fish here which I had not before seen employed, but found afterward to be very common on the Tapajos. This is by using a poisonous liana called Timbó (Paullinia pinnata). It will act only in the still waters of creeks and pools. A few rods, a yard in length, are mashed and soaked in the water, which quickly becomes discolored with the milky, deleterious juice of the plant. In about half an hour all the smaller fishes over a rather wide space around the spot rise to the surface, floating on their sides, and with the gills wide open. The poison acts evidently by suffocating the fishes; it spreads slowly in the water, and a very slight mixture seems sufficient to stupefy them. I was surprised, on beating the water in places where no fishes were visible in the clear depths, for many yards round, to find, sooner or later, sometimes twenty-four hours afterward, a considerable number floating dead on the surface.

The climate is rather more humid than that of Santarem. I suppose this is to be attriubted to the neighboring country being

densely wooded, instead of an open campo. In no part of the country did I enjoy more the moonlit nights than here in the dry season. After the day's work was done I used to go down to the shores of the bay and lie full length on the cool sand for two or three hours before bedtime. The soft pale light, resting on broad sandy beaches and palmthatched huts, reproduced the effect of a midwinter scene in the ccid north when a coating of snow lies on the landscape. A heavy shower falls about once a week, and the shrubby vegetation never becomes parched up as at Santarem. Between the ains the heat and dryness increase from day to day: the weather on the first day after the rain is gleamy, with intervals of melting sunshine and passing clouds; the next day is rather drier, and the east wind begins to blow; then follow days of cloudless sky, with gradually increasing strength of breeze. When this has continued about a week a light mistiness begins to gather about the horizon, clouds are formed, grumbling thunder is heard, and then, generally in the nighttime, down falls the refreshing rain. The sudden chill caused by the rains produces colds, which are accompanied by the same symptoms as in cur own climate; with this exceptior the place is very healthy.

June 17th.-The two young men returned without mecting with my montaria, and I found it impossible here to buy a new one. The head-man could find me only one hand. This was a blunt-spoken but willing young Indian, named Manoel. He came on board this morning at cight o'clock, and we then got up our anchor and resumed our voyage.

The wind was light and variable all day, and we made only about fifteen miles by seven o'clock in the evening. 'The coust formed a succession of long shallow bays with sandy beaches, on which the waves broke in a long line of surf. Ten miles above Altar do Chao is a conspicuous headland, called Point Cajetúba. During a lull of the wind, toward mid-day we ran the cuberta aground in shallow water and waded ashore, but the woods were scarcely penetrable, and not a bird was to be seen. The only thing observed worthy of note was the quantity of drowned winged ants along the beach; they were all of one species, the ter rible formiga de fogo (Myrmica sævissima); the dead or half-dead bodies of which were heaped up in a line an inch or two in height and breadth, the line continuing without interruption for miles at the edge of the water. The countless thousands had been doubtless cast into the river while flying during a sudden squall the night before, and afterward cast ashore by the waves. We found ourselves at seven o clock near the mouth of a creek leading to a small lake, called Aramána-í; and the wind having died away, we anchored, guided by the lights ashore, near the house of a settler named Jeronymo, whom I knew, and who soon after showed us a snug little harbor where we could remain in safety for the night. The river here

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