Page:A narrative of travels on the Amazon and Rio Negro.djvu/278

 246 TRAVELS ON THE RIO NEGRO. [March,

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-