They had reacted a district which lies between two great branches of the
Napo river, and which bears the name of _Canelos_, or the "cinnamon
country." The name was given to it by the Spanish discoverers of Peru--
from the fact of their finding trees in this region, the bark of which
bears a considerable resemblance to the celebrated spice of the East
Indies. _Canela_ is the Spanish name for cinnamon; and the rude
adventurers Pineda and Gonzalez Pizarro, fancying it was the real
cinnamon-tree itself, so called it; and the district in which they found
it most abundant thenceforward took the name of Canelos.
The tree, afterwards identified and described by the Spanish botanist
Mutis, is not the _Laurus cinnamomum_ of Ceylon; but a species of
_laurus_ peculiar to the American continent--to which this botanist has
given the name _laurus cinnamomoides_. It is not, however, confined to
the region around the Rio Napo, but grows in many parts of the Great
_Montana_, as well as in other countries of tropical America. Bonpland
identified it on the Upper Orinoco, and again in the county of Caraccas;
though nowhere does it appear to be in such plenty as to the east of the
Cordilleras of Ecuador and Peru--throughout the provinces of Quixos,
Macas, and Jean de Bracamoros. In these provinces it is found forming
extensive woods, and filling the air with the delicious aroma of its
flowers. The bark of the _laurus cinnamomoides_ is not considered equal
in delicate flavour to that of the Oriental cinnamon. It is hotter and
more pungent to the taste--otherwise the resemblance between the two
trees is very considerable, their foliage being much alike, and the bark
peeling off of nearly equal thickness. The American, however, becomes
more brownish when dried; and, though it is not equal to the cinnamon
bark of Ceylon, large quantities of it are collected, both for use in
the Spanish-American countries and for export to Europe--where it is
often passed off for the true cinnamon. Were it not that the province
of anelos is rather inaccessible to commerce, no doubt a great deal more
of it would find its way into the European markets; but there are perils
and hardships in the collecting of this bark, which make it unprofitable
to deal in, even at the full price of the true cinnamon. The Peruvians
believe that, were the tree cultivated in a proper manner, as the
Oriental cinnamon is, its bark would prove equal in quality to the
latter; and perhaps this may be true, since occasionally specimens of it
have been procured, having all the rich aroma of the spice of Ceylon.
These have been taken from trees that grew in favourable situations--
that is, standing alone, and where the sun had free access to the leaves
and flowers. The leaves themselves have the peculiar cinnamon flavour,
and the flowers also; but in a much stronger degree. Indeed, the
flowers are even more aromatic than those of the _laurus cinnamomum_.
It is said that the wild pigs (_peccaries_) are very fond of these
flowers, as well as the seeds, when ripe; and a singular habit of these
animals is related by some of the early Peruvian travellers--the Jesuit
Ovalle for one. The old father states that when a flock of the
peccaries go in search of the flowers of the canela-tree, they separate
into two divisions, of about nearly equal numbers. The individuals of
one division place their shoulders to the different trees; and, by
shaking them violently, cause the flowers to fall down to the earth.
While thus employed, the peccaries of the other party stand under the
shower, and eat undisturbedly until they have quite filled their
bellies, or otherwise satisfied themselves. These last then take the
place of the hungry hogs; and reciprocating the service by shaking the
trees, leave the former to enjoy themselves in their turn!
It is not easy to swallow this story of the Jesuit, though he was
himself a native of the country where the scene is laid. That part of
it which relates to the hogs shaking the trees for one another, is not
likely to be true, though it is possible all the other particulars are
correct.
It may be true enough that the animals shake the trees to bring down the
flowers: for this would exhibit a sagacity not greater than hogs of
other species are capable of; but it is not according to the laws of
their moral nature to perform the service for one another. That they
roam in great flocks through the canela forests, and devour with avidity
the blossoms of these trees, is undoubtedly a fact--of which our
travellers had the evidence of their own eyes while on their journey up
the river Napo.
They were passing a place where these wild cinnamon-trees lined the
banks of the stream; and, in order to make a closer examination of such
an interesting species, Alexis landed from the _periagua_, Ivan went
along with him--taking his double-barrelled gun, in hopes of getting a
shot at something. In one barrel he had a bullet, while the other was
loaded with shot--so that he was prepared for any sort of game that
might turn up, either beasts or birds. Alexis, as usual, carried his
rifle.
It was their intention to walk for some distance up the bank. There was
a sandy strip between the water and the trees--which would enable them
to make way without difficulty--and it is only where this occurs that
the banks of the Amazonian rivers can be followed on foot. Generally,
the thick forest comes down to the very water's edge; and there is no
pathway except an occasional track followed by the chiguires, tapirs,
and other animals; but, as these creatures only open the underwood to
the height of their own bodies, all above that is a matted labyrinth of
leaves and llanos, that form an impenetrable barrier to the passage of
anything so tall as a man. The Indians themselves rarely follow these
paths, but keep to their canoes or periaguas.
Seeing this fine open sand-bar, which appeared to stretch for miles
above them, our young travellers, tired of sitting upon the _toldo_,
determined to stretch their legs in a walk; and, directing the capataz
to keep up the river and take them in above, they set out along the
bank--now and then dipping into the woods, wherever an opening showed
itself, and examining such rare natural objects as attracted their
attention.
Pouchskin did not go with them; and the reason was that, some days
before, Pouchskin had encountered a mishap, by which he was laid up
lame. The cause of his lameness was simply that some _chigas_ had got
between his toes; and not having been extracted in time, had there laid
their eggs, and caused a terrible inflammation to his feet. A
misfortune that frequently happens in tropical countries. The wound
caused by the _chiga_, though not absolutely of fatal consequences, is
very dangerous to be trifled with--often leading to the necessity of
amputating the part attacked by these diminutive insects. Pouchskin,
sneering at the insignificance of the enemy, had neglected taking proper
precautions--notwithstanding that the Indian canoe-men had warned him of
the danger. The consequence was a swelling of the parts and an
inflammation, that lamed the old grenadier as completely as if his leg
had been carried off by a bomb-shell; and he was now reclining along the
top of the toldo, unable to stand upon his feet.
For this reason, being in no condition to join his young masters on
their pedestrian excursions, he was necessarily left behind. It was,
perhaps, just as well for him: since it was the means of keeping him
clear of a scrape into which both of the young hunters chanced to fall
very soon after; and which, perhaps, had Pouchskin been with them, might
have ended worse than it did: since it could not have ended much better.