A FORTY DAYS’ RIDE THROUGH WILDEST MATTO GROSSO
Tapirapoan presented a scene of festive gayety upon the arrival of
the expedition. The large, open square around which clustered the
low, mud-walled huts was decorated with lines of pennants, while the
American and Brazilian flags fluttered from tall poles in the centre.
Flag raising and lowering were always impressive ceremonies; everybody
lined up and stood at attention while the banners were elevated or
taken down, as the case might be, to the strains of martial music.
However, if Tapirapoan bore a festive outward appearance, it acted
merely as a mask to cover up the general confusion that even a casual
inspection could not fail to disclose. Numbers of horses, mules, and
oxen had been gathered from the surrounding country; an array of
natives or _camaradas_ who were to have charge of the animals and the
impedimenta, had assembled, and several warerooms were filled with
provisions and equipment. To organize properly a cavalcade of such vast
proportions required some little time--in fact just six days. We did
not particularly regret the delay, for it gave us an opportunity of
making daily excursions into the near-by country. This was mostly of an
open character and yielded no big game, but it teemed with interesting
little creatures. Several small tracts of land were fenced in and
planted in maize, and it was wonderful to note how these restricted
areas had been discovered by small rodents which apparently came
from the surrounding wilds, found an abundance of food and favorable
conditions, and multiplied so rapidly that within a short time they
were so abundant as to be decidedly harmful. One would almost expect
their natural enemies to increase in the same proportion, but such
was obviously not the case. Wherever there was a patch of ground under
cultivation, rats and mice teemed, particularly the latter, belonging
to the genus _Oryzomys_; they are several times the size of a house
mouse, have rather short tails, and are of a very deep brown color. The
small burrows in which they live are made at the bases of weed-stalks,
bushes, and under fences and logs; or, lacking these protective agents,
they dig down into the ground almost anywhere. If one sits still for
a few minutes, preferably at dusk, they may see the beady-eyed little
animals steal forth, whiskers twitching nervously, and ears alert to
catch any sound which might apprise them of danger. I have never seen
them go very far from the protection of their underground runways;
and even while nibbling hurriedly at some tempting bit of food, they
frequently dash away suddenly, then stop short, look around, and come
back--all apparently without the slightest provocation.
Some of the men had caught a huge tortoise known in various parts of
South America as the _morrocoy_, farther down the river. This became
a sort of general pet, and while it was at first intended to use
“Lizzie”--for that was the name that had been given to the friendly,
inactive creature--for food, it was later decided that the animal was
worthy of better treatment. It was therefore agreed upon that Lizzie
should go to the Bronx Zoo. A comfortable crate was constructed, and
just before loading it on the launch bound down-stream, we gathered
around the box and dropped an abundant supply of sliced melon and other
succulent food through the bars. Then we learned an interesting bit of
natural history. One of the _camaradas_ had stood by until he thought
enough perfectly good food had been wasted on the tortoise. “Don’t give
her all that,” he advised, “a turtle is just like the camel and the
elephant; it can go six months without eating.” We were glad to learn
later that Lizzie survived the trip to New York, and proved to be the
largest of her species in the Zoo collection.
Order was finally restored out of chaos, and each member of the party
was given a mule and a complete saddle outfit. The pack-animals were
divided into squads, each in charge of a chief mule-man and his
assistants; then the impedimenta were sorted out and arranged for easy
and quick packing on the mules.
At noon, January 21, the first detachment of the expedition started.
This included all of the Americans and several of the Brazilians to
whose number Lieutenants João Lyra and Joaquin de Melho Filho had been
added. Captain Amilcar was to follow the next day with the remainder of
the caravan. This division of the party was absolutely necessary as, on
account of the great number of men and animals required, the expedition
would have been unwieldy if it had attempted to move in one body.
The first day’s ride was a short one. Early in the morning the men
started to load the pack-animals, many of which were apparently fresh
from the ranges and had never been broken to work of any kind; as a
result of this there was a good deal of confusion at first. The corrals
reminded one of a wild-west show. Guachos, wearing fringed leather
aprons, and wicked, keen-edged knives in their belts, and who swore
fluently in two or three different languages, lassoed the panicky
animals, blindfolded them, and adjusted the packs. When the covering
was removed from the animals’ eyes they frequently gave a few sharp
snorts, and then started through the corral in a series of rabbit-like
leaps, eventually sending the packs, saddles, and all flying in every
direction. After freeing themselves of their burden, they gave a few
extra high kicks of exultation, and then ran into the huddled mass of
their fellows for concealment. Gradually, however, the men became more
adept at their work, the mules and oxen quieted down and little groups
left the corrals, wound up the trail, and disappeared in a cloud of
dust.
Our mounts were good, strong animals. We cantered up the trail at a
brisk gait while Mr. Fiala, who had gone on a few miles in advance,
took a motion-picture of the entire outfit, beginning the long journey
through wildest Brazil that would end--we knew not where. Unfortunately
Mr. Fiala was not present to take a film of the expedition when it
emerged at Manaos; the two pictures side by side would have told an
interesting story.
A few hours’ ride through forest and brush-covered country brought us
to the Rio Sepotuba again, but quite some distance above Tapirapoan,
and we crossed the stream on a pontoon made by laying a platform of
boards across three dugout canoes. There were a number of new palm-leaf
houses on the river-bank, so these were used for the night’s camp
instead of erecting the tents.
Next day we were in the saddle by nine, riding through tall virgin
forest with occasional stretches of sandy soil in which an expanse of
low bushes only grew. It was evident as we penetrated farther into the
interior that the forest zone was fast disappearing, to be replaced by
the vast _chapadão_; this latter type of country is high, nearly level,
and covered with widely scattered, stunted trees. The heat was intense;
there was no rain, but troublesome insects were lacking. At three
o’clock we entered an old clearing. Formerly rice, plantains, mandioca,
and corn had been cultivated here, but now the place was deserted and
overgrown with weeds. Kilometre 52, as the place was called, had been
an important camp of the telegraph commission while work was being
prosecuted in that region, but had long since been abandoned.
[Illustration: Colonel Roosevelt in the Brazilian _chapadão_.]
[Illustration: A camp in the _chapadão_.]
On January 23 a 32-kilometre ride took us to the site of an old Indian
village known as Aldeia Queimada, meaning burnt settlement. A single
hut was all that remained, and in this lived two Indian women, each of
whom had two husbands and a number of small children. We were adhering
closely to the telegraph-line, following the wide swath that had been
cleared to protect the wires from falling trees and branches, except
when a short détour was desirable to find a better crossing for some
small stream. The country was of a gently undulatory character,
covered with wiry grass and a very sparse growth of scrubby, gnarled
trees. This vegetation is typical of a great part of Matto Grosso. With
the exception of a few small deer and a limited number of wood-hewers
and jays, there were no evidences of animal life. A clear, cold spring
rippled over a pebbly bottom near our night’s camp. It was the last
stream we should see that discharged its water (via the Sepotuba) into
the Rio de la Plata system.
Colonel Rondon had employed a number of motor-trucks in constructing
this section of the telegraph-line; several of them were still in
serviceable condition. It was therefore thought advisable to send a
portion of the baggage ahead on the cars as far as the trail permitted,
and as it would take several days for the rest of the expedition to
catch up, Mr. Cherrie and I went along to devote to collecting the
time thus gained. Father Zahm and Mr. Sigg also went in this party.
We started from a point called Rio Mandioca, two days beyond Aldeia
Queimada. There were three trucks, great, well-built machines of
foreign make, laden to their fullest capacity with the heaviest and
most cumbersome pieces of equipment. It was a strange sight to see them
racing across the uninhabited _chapadão_ at a speed of thirty miles an
hour. It rained frequently, but the powerful cars charged through the
blinding sheets of falling water, and sent streams of mud flying from
the inundated trail. Each car was provided with two wide belts of heavy
slats; one of them was fitted over the wheels on each side of the car,
so they formed a sort of endless trail and gave greater traction in the
uneven roadway. Surely this was exploring _de luxe_; but we were to
reach the other extreme before long.
The car in which we travelled had a full-blooded Indian mechanician,
who seemed to be fully initiated into the mysteries of handling an
automobile, from gathering up branches and stones with which to fill up
the roadway when the cars mired deep in the loose sand, to repairing
the engine on the rare occasions when such a procedure was necessary.
On the afternoon of the third day we reached a point called Macacos.
A few decaying huts marked the spot, and in them lived a number of
Parecís Indians, the first we had seen. They were a wild-looking
lot; some of them wore breech-cloths, others loose, long, shirt-like
garments, and all had a thick mop of tousled black hair. A few of
the children were nearly covered with ropes of black beads cut from
sections of thin rattan or bamboo. They rubbed their stomachs with
their hands and said “_fome_,” meaning hungry; so we gave them half
of a deer that had been killed a short time before, and they rushed
into the huts to feast. We continued on a distance of four leagues.
This brought us to the Rio Sacre--the end of the wide road. The river
is here broken by a fall of one hundred and fifty feet. As elsewhere
in South America, we were impressed with the appalling lack of animal
life. So far we had seen only a few rheas, a seriema or two, and
several small deer.
On the morning of the 29th we crossed the Sacre on a pontoon boat and,
using a number of mules that had been previously sent there, rode the
two leagues to the Parecís Indian village of Utiarity. From afar we
could hear the deafening roar of water, and the Indians eagerly guided
us to a spot just below the settlement, where the Papagayo rushes over
the edge of a precipice and falls into the gorge below in one sheer
drop of two hundred and eighty feet. The river is fully five hundred
feet wide, and the quantity of clear, cold water it flows is enormous.
The spectacle of the descending wall of snowy water streaked with
various shades of green and blue, the idly floating mist-clouds, and
the thunderous roar is awe-inspiring. When it is remembered that these
falls are higher than Niagara, one can easily picture the wonderful
sight that meets the eye of the traveller in this virgin country.
The Parecís are a small tribe of semicivilized Indians who live in
substantial huts and cultivate fields of mandioca, corn, and sweet
potatoes. Formerly they were far more numerous, but an incessant
warfare with the neighboring tribes and contact with the outside world
have thinned their ranks until they are well on the road to extinction.
Some of them wore clothes, while many wore only a breech-cloth of their
own weaving. They also make hammocks and various articles for useful or
ornamental purposes.
In stature the Parecís is rather short, but he is well built and
sturdy. His color is a light shade of brown. The youths of the tribe
engaged in a curious game of head-ball, using for the purpose a hollow
rubber sphere a foot in diameter, manufactured by themselves. They
chose sides and batted the ball back and forth across a line with their
heads. At no time were the hands or feet used to strike or kick the
ball. They displayed remarkable dexterity and tireless energy at this
form of amusement; if the ball came bounding along the ground they made
headlong dives for it like a baseball-player sliding to home plate.
One evening just before sundown practically all of the men joined
in a sacred dance. On this occasion they were clothed in gaudy red
head-bands, bead neck-chains and belts, also anklets made of bunches
of curious dry seeds that kept up a continuous rattling sound as the
dancers stamped in rhythm with the low, sighing music of reed flutes.
They stopped at short intervals to drink chicha, and during certain
parts of the dance they sang the names of their dead warriors and
mighty hunters, calling upon them for guidance and assistance. We had
previously seen a blue-and-yellow macaw about the village; it had the
run of the place and seemed to be a great favorite with everybody.
While the dance was in progress the bird sat disconsolately on top of
one of the huts. Then we discovered that the Indians had pulled out its
tail-feathers and used them to decorate their head-dresses.
The women were not permitted to witness the first part of the
performance, but later the dancers visited each home and exacted
tribute from the squaws in the form of several gallons of chicha.
Utiarity was a profitable collecting-place. Many small rodents and a
few larger mammals, including a soft-shelled armadillo collected by
Colonel Roosevelt, were taken, and a number of birds besides. We spent
five days in the village (Colonel Roosevelt arrived three days after
we did), at the end of which time Father Zahm and Mr. Sigg started
back home. A short time later Mr. Fiala left the expedition for his
trip down the unexplored Papagayo. Mr. Fiala undertook this work
voluntarily, well realizing the hazardous nature of the venture ahead
of him. He carried the undertaking to a successful close, but barely
escaped with his life.
The first telegraph-station along the line was located at Utiarity. It
was conducted by a young Brazilian; his wife acted as schoolmistress
and was doing a really noble work in educating the younger generation
of Parecís along mental and moral lines. The second telegraph-station
was on the banks of the Rio Juruena, approximately one hundred
kilometres away; it required five days to reach this place.
[Illustration: The Falls of Salto Bello of the Rio Papagayo.]
By this time the order of the expedition had settled down to a regular
routine. We arose as the first sharp blasts of a bugle smote the
silence of early morning. A short time later the faithful Juan, a
colored man who was as big-hearted and obliging as he was tall and
powerful, appeared with coffee. At about eight o’clock a bountiful
breakfast was served. Then we mounted the riding animals which were
brought and saddled by the _camaradas_, and started on the day’s ride.
Each person was advised in advance of the distance to be covered,
and it was easy to locate the camping-site by watching the numbers
on the telegraph-poles; there were eleven of these to the kilometre,
and as they were numbered consecutively it was of course simple to
arrive at the numeral that marked the end of the day’s ride. Usually
we made camp at about 4 P. M., but sometimes it was much later. The
cook and his assistants immediately began to prepare supper, and
always had it ready in a short time, much to our relief, as there was
nothing to eat between meals. The other men cleared spaces, erected the
tents, and cared for the luggage and animals. Cherrie and I occupied
a fifteen by twenty-five foot balloon-silk fly that I had used on the
Orinoco, and this was one of the few shelters that withstood the entire
trip; it was used later on the Rio da Duvida by Colonel Roosevelt. If
there was time we went on a short hunting-trip and usually secured
at least a few interesting and little-known mammals and birds. Night
in camp was invariably delightful; when the weather was favorable
the peons gathered great heaps of wood and made a huge bonfire. Then
we sat around it and listened to Colonel Roosevelt telling of his
hunting adventures on the Western plains, in the north woods, or on
the African veldt--all told in such a way that we were enthralled and
could visualize pronghorn, cougar, bear, and lion, as well as their
actions in their native wilderness. Should the weather be unfavorable,
Cherrie and I repaired to the colonel’s tent for a visit; or the
colonel and Kermit came to see us. We discussed history, literature,
and science, and sometimes, if the conditions were propitious, we were
favored with tales of ghosts, the werewolf, and other supernatural
beings. I always looked forward to these occasions; they are among the
never-to-be-forgotten events incidental to our journey through the
wilds with Colonel Roosevelt.
It required four days’ time to reach the Juruena. We had been compelled
to reduce the amount of baggage very materially shortly after leaving
the Parecís village, as many of the cargo-animals had given out on the
trail, and the others were weakening perceptibly. It was of course
impossible to carry along grain for the animals; each night they were
turned loose to shift for themselves, and while there was an abundance
of grass, the long-continued strain began to tell. We abandoned most
of the tents, and all superfluous clothing was left behind. The
equipment for collecting and preserving specimens had to be reduced
to a minimum also, on account of its weight; we retained only a few
hundred cartridges and about a dozen traps with which to prosecute the
natural-history work. This reduction of the impedimenta was unavoidable
and affected every member of the party, either directly or indirectly.
It was one of the several instances where individual interests had to
be sacrificed for the good of the whole expedition.
At Juruena we made the acquaintance of a primitive tribe of Indians who
probably represent the lowest type of savage to be found anywhere on
the South American continent. They are known as the Nhambiquaras. As we
drew up on the river-bank they gathered about and stared in curiosity
at the party, but betrayed no hostile feelings. Colonel Rondon had but
recently succeeded in establishing amicable relations with them. On
his first visits into Matto Grosso, numbers of his men had been slain
by the Nhambiquaras, and they had resented his every step into their
stronghold. In the days that followed, Colonel Rondon related some of
his experiences with these Indians. As accompanied by a few companions,
among whom Lieutenant Lyra figured prominently, he made his way slowly
and painfully through the _chapadão_, parties of the savages constantly
followed his movements. On account of the open character of the country
they remained in concealment during the daytime; but when night spread
a protecting cloak of darkness over the land, the Indians became bolder
and harassed the camp. It was impossible to build a fire, for that
would have enabled the lurking fiends to see their victims and make
easy targets of them. After trying many schemes for making friends
with the savages, Colonel Rondon took a phonograph into the wilds with
him, and played it at night. The Indians were unable to understand
the music, and finally their curiosity prompted them to leave the
sheltering blackness and come timidly into the Brazilians’ camp in
search of the sound.
Colonel Rondon has persistently treated the wild people with kindness.
During all their persecution of himself and his men, he permitted no
one to retaliate in any manner whatever. They have therefore learned to
look upon him as a friend and some even appeared to be heartily glad to
see him.
In stature the Nhambiquara is short, but well built and of a rather
dark-brown color. It seems possible that some of them have a slight
amount of negro blood in their veins, obtained from runaway slaves many
years ago; a few of this class had a light growth of hair on the face.
The others were beardless and their bodies also were entirely devoid of
hair.
Clothes are entirely unknown to these Indians, and practically the
only ornaments in their possession were strings of beads given to
them by Colonel Rondon. The men had the septum of the nose and upper
lip pierced, and wore quills or slender pieces of bamboo in these
perforations. They had the unpleasant habit of coming close up to one
and jabbering at a furious rate of speed; this caused the labrets to
move uncomfortably near one’s eyes, and it was necessary at times to
retreat a short distance in order to get out of range of the menacing
ornaments. This tribe builds curious round huts or _maloca_ of grass
or leaves, and cultivates small areas of mandioca; but forest fruits,
game, and wild honey form important articles of diet. Ants, snakes, and
almost any creature they can capture are eaten. One day I saw several
children playing with a calabash of honey, when they accidentally upset
it on the ground; this, however, caused them not the slightest concern;
they gathered around the spot, and scooped up handfuls of the saturated
sand, which they ate. When they had finished, a deep hole remained to
mark the site of their banquet!
The weapons of the Nhambiquaras consist of bows six feet tall, made of
tough black or red palm-wood, and long bamboo arrows. The points of the
latter vary according to the purpose for which they are to be used,
and some of them are poisoned. A bamboo cap is placed over the points
that have been treated with curare, to prevent the owner’s causing
injury to himself, and also to keep the rain from washing the poison
off. Hunting-parties take long tramps at frequent intervals, subsisting
on the fruits of their prowess. At night a rude lean-to is built of
branches; a fire, started by rubbing two sticks together, is placed in
front, and the game is roasted and eaten; then they stretch themselves
on the bare ground to sleep, like so many sheep or dogs.
Colonel Rondon was always kind to the Indians. He gave them beads,
trinkets, and food. A herd of steers was driven along with the
expedition, and one of the animals was killed whenever meat was
required. The Indians always received an entire quarter of beef. They
built a huge fire, tore off pieces of the meat and threw them into the
embers, where they were left until charred; then they were raked out
with a stick and eaten. This was continued far into the night, until
not a morsel remained. Sometimes the Indians danced for us, and once we
joined them. They clasped hands and stamped about in a circle singing
in a loud, shrill voice, words that sounded like “_Nã-na-ha-ha-ha_.”
After a time we regretted having entered into their pastime, for they
kept up the dancing for an hour or more and refused to permit us to
drop out.
We remained a day at Juruena to rest and develop films. The pictures
taken by an expedition always form one of its important records, and
great care must be exercised in developing all exposed films promptly
or they will spoil in the hot, damp climate.
When we were ready to continue our journey on the second morning, we
discovered that the Nhambiquaras in departing had taken two of the dogs
with them. Colonel Rondon spent some hours hunting for the Indians,
but their start was too long and he could not come up with them. I
regretted heartily that they had not taken all of the dogs, as they
were a mongrel, worthless lot; they were of no assistance in hunting,
nor did they watch camp. On the contrary, they brought fleas and ticks
into the tents, insisted on eating and drinking out of our dishes,
and consumed quantities of food that might have been used to better
advantage later.
The country beyond the Juruena is somewhat rolling, but there is no
appreciable change in the vegetation. We rode twenty kilometres the
first day, camping on the banks of the Rio da Fomiga (February 10).
Next day we travelled but twelve kilometres, reaching the Jurina, a
shallow though rapid stream six hundred feet wide; the crossing was
slow and laborious, as there was only one very small _balsa_ or ferry.
Camp was pitched on the banks of a small stream a league beyond. Near
by were several deserted thatched huts and the comparatively new graves
where two Brazilian soldiers and one army officer had been buried. The
Indians had killed them, and interred them in an upright position with
the head and shoulders protruding out of the ground. The following
night, on the Rio Primavera we saw two other graves; the men who were
buried there had been slain while asleep in their hammocks. This was
the most dangerous part of the whole Nhambiquara country.
When we reached a place called Mutúm Cavallo in the afternoon of the
15th, the mules Kermit and I had ridden were so tired that we decided
to give them a day’s rest; that meant walking to the next camping-site,
and rather than undertake the long journey during the hot hours of
the next day we planned to start immediately after supper. There was
still some time to spend, however, so we went about our work as usual.
An army of ants was foraging near the tents; they had discovered a
large, hairy caterpillar, but the half-inch long “bristles” with which
it was covered protected its body from the onslaught of the marauding
host. The ants, however, were not to be deterred from their purpose;
they made repeated rushes at the caterpillar, clipping off a bit of
hair each time they struck. After continuing these tactics for twenty
minutes, a small patch of the plump insect’s body had been cleared of
hair, and one ant got a good hold with its vise-like mandible. The
caterpillar, upon feeling the pain, promptly began to wriggle, thus
exposing its unprotected under-side, and the ants immediately rushed at
that vulnerable part and soon succeeded in overwhelming their victim.
Near by lay the dry, bleached skull of a steer. A fer-de-lance three
feet long had apparently been struck with the possibilities as a safe
hiding-place presented by the interior of the skull, and proceeded to
crawl into it _via_ the nasal openings. Then it discovered that this
was not the proper entrance and tried to back out; but bits of sharp,
splintered bone caught under the plates and scales of the reptile’s
body, holding it as securely as a trap, until it died, perhaps of
starvation.
At 8.30 P. M. we started on our long walk. It was very dark at first,
so that it was impossible to see the trail. We had taken one of the
dogs with us, and this is the only time, so far as I know, that he was
of the slightest use. He was of a light color, so we could make out his
dimly outlined form in the darkness. He was therefore permitted to go
in advance, and we followed in his footsteps; not once did he lose the
trail.
Each of us carried a hammock and blanket, also a gun, as Colonel Rondon
had warned us against bands of prowling Indians and jaguars. But to
our disappointment we saw absolutely nothing, and did not hear so much
as even the hoot of an owl. The only excitement was occasioned when
streams blocked our way, and it was necessary to start across without
knowing just exactly what was ahead. At midnight we saw a bright light
in the distance, and soon after passed the sleeping sentinel and
entered Captain Amilcar’s quarters; he was camped on a grassy knoll
called Campo Novo.
Formerly the third telegraph-station was located at this point, but it
now stands on the Rio Nhambiquara, a league away. We were now on the
border of the great Cerro do Norte, a vast tract of country composed
of high, broken plateaus or mesas covered luxuriantly with grass.
Many small streams flow through deep gorges, and near some of the
watercourses tall, dense forest grows. The soil is fertile and would
produce abundant crops of corn and vegetables. Countless herds of
cattle could be reared on the extensive plains, and the climate is cool
and healthful. There are few portions of South America so well suited
to colonization by Europeans, but on account of the remote location and
the lack of means of communication it will be several decades before
this vast and fruitful region will become inhabited.
It required about a week’s time to cross the extensive Cerro do Norte.
The type of country gradually changes. The vegetation of the _chapadão_
gives way to a taller growth, and the banks of the numerous streams are
heavily forested. Occasionally all other vegetation is superseded by
extensive areas of wild pineapples. Many square miles are covered with
dense thickets of the plants; during the greater part of three days’
ride we were seldom out of sight of them. The fruit was just ripening
by countless millions; it was small but of delicious flavor. The
Indians ate quantities and also made wine of it.
We added few specimens to the collection after leaving Utiarity. Animal
life was not abundant, and the rapid pace at which the expedition was
compelled to move left no time for collecting. The Nhambiquaras came
to our camp almost daily. They usually approached unarmed, having
concealed their bows and arrows some distance away; that was a sign of
peaceful intentions. One day we passed one of their settlements; it
contained a few low, round huts made of poles covered with grass; one
small opening served as the doorway. We also encountered a number of
them on the march. A solitary man walked first, carrying his bow and
arrows only; about fifty yards behind came a woman, heavily burdened
with baskets, calabashes, and children. Another man followed, and then
a second woman, and so on until the whole band had passed. The reason
for this formation is apparent. As the men are first and are the
fighters, they must be on the alert and ready to face danger without an
instant’s delay; were they encumbered with the family impedimenta the
delay occasioned in ridding themselves of it before being able to use
their weapons might be fatal to the whole family.
We found an interesting little animal called cururú (_Ctenomys_) at a
place named José Bonifacio, reached February 23. It is of gopher-like
appearance and habits, and is said never to come out of the ground. It
throws up mounds of earth at irregular intervals of from a few feet to
ten yards apart, and some of them are very large--three feet across and
eighteen inches high. We were very desirous of securing one of these
animals, but as there were no traps available for the purpose, six
Nhambiquaras were induced to dig open one of the burrows. At first the
Indians, guided by the mounds and aided by a sharpened stick, followed
the galleries, which were about a foot beneath the surface, and at
intervals of ten yards blocked them by stamping down the earth into the
hole. We returned a half-hour later and found that the plug between two
of these sections had been opened, so knew just where the creature was
bottled up.
The Indians now opened the entire section of the gallery and found a
hole going almost straight down, which, they explained, led to the
nest. A soldier was now called with a hoe, and the work of excavation
was begun. In order that the hole might not be filled up, a long,
pliable stick was inserted, and this served as a guide. The Indians
worked with pointed sticks and threw out the loose earth with their
hands. Frequently they relieved one another. When near the end of the
work the animal could be felt with a stick; they became greatly excited
and worked in feverish haste, as a fox-terrier might after a rat, and
kept up a continuous yelling. They were covered with earth from head
to foot; ears, eyes, nose, and hair were caked with sand and clay, and
the naked bodies looked as if they had just emerged from a mud-wallow.
Finally one threw away his stick, inserted his arm into the hole, and
with a yell of triumph jumped up, holding aloft the kicking little
creature by the tail. Then he flung it from him into the grass. The
animal seemed bewildered above ground and could not run fast.
The hole, after leaving the upper gallery, descended eight feet, and
then ran in a horizontal direction fifteen feet. At the end was a small
cavity, but no nest. Small bunches of grass were found in the gallery
which had been pulled down by the roots.
The excavation measured fifteen feet long, eight feet deep and three
feet wide, and it required half a day for the Indians to complete the
work.
The Indians are fond of the animal’s flesh, and often dig them out to
eat.
At a camp named Sete de Setembro the two divisions of the expedition
were reunited. Captain Amilcar and his party had arrived a day or two
before, and a halt was made to divide the equipment and provisions
between what were to be the Duvida and Gy-Paraná parties. The Rio da
Duvida was only ten kilometres away, and on February 27 we reached its
banks. It is a silent, swift stream about sixty-five feet wide at this
point, spanned by a substantial wooden bridge. A number of canoes, some
of them old and water-logged from use, were tied at the landing. No
time was lost in loading them and making ready for the start into the
unknown.