Page:A narrative of travels on the Amazon and Rio Negro.djvu/275

 iSS2.] ANNOYANCES OF THE JOURNEY. 243

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