Mutiny and Threats--Wasted Efforts--Awful Waters--The Canoe
escapes in a Violent Rapid--Another Mutiny--The Canoe
recovered--An Appalling Vortex--The Fall of S. Simão--Cutting an
Artificial Channel in the Rocks
BRAZILIANS of a low class are unfortunately easily led by words. Alcides,
who could not get over his bad temper, once more incited the men to
revolt. While I was busy taking altitude observations with the
hypsometrical apparatus I kept my eye on them, as I saw plainly that I
was coming in for trouble.
Unfortunately for us another bad part of the rapid had to be negotiated,
and the only way possible was to take the canoe overland once more. With
Alcides at their head, all the men were now in open rebellion, and
absolutely refused to work.
"Very good," I said to them. "If you do not like to take the canoe along
we shall stay here. I like this spot very much, as it is most
picturesque."
The men filled the magazines of their rifles with cartridges, and then
came threateningly toward me, shoving the muzzles right in my face.
"You must give us food," said they. "We want to eat, and we want to be
taken back to our country."
I advised them to take a walk in the forest and see if they could shoot
something there, for if they shot me, one fact was certain, and that was
that they would never see their happy homes again.
Two of the men turned away in order to go after game, but the man X
levelled his rifle at my head and demanded his money, as he wished to
leave at once. The contract I had with him was different from that I had
with the other men. I had agreed to pay him on reaching the nearest point
of civilization, where I would let him loose again. I therefore said that
I would most certainly pay him the very minute he had fulfilled his
contract.
I paid no more attention to his threat, although I heard the click of the
hammer of his rifle being cocked. I told him to get some wood to make a
fire, as I wished to make myself a cup of chocolate.
In unpacking some of my instruments I had made a great discovery--a box
of chocolate, which had strayed into a package by mistake.
X seemed undecided whether to shoot or not. I made no attempt to take the
rifle out of his hand, as that would have been fatal. After a few moments
he sat down on a rock a few yards away, his rifle resting on his knees
and pointing in my direction, while I myself collected some small pieces
of wood and proceeded to make the fire.
[Illustration: Artificial Canal made by Author and his Men in order
to take their Canoe along where the river was Impassable.]
Filippe the negro, who had his eye on the box of chocolate, came and
helped to blow the flame. We got some water and boiled it in a large tin
cup. While we were doing that I heard rifles being fired in the
forest, and presently Antonio returned with some fine _jacu_
(_Penelope cristata_) he had shot.
The entire morning of August 12th was absolutely wasted, owing to the
conduct of my men. Even after they had had a good meal, not a particle of
which they offered me--not that I asked them for it--they were still in a
riotous mood.
As was my habit when I had anything to eat, I always shared it in equal
parts with them: when the chocolate was ready--notwithstanding their
behaviour--I asked them for their cups, and each one received his share
of that delicious beverage. As usual also, I sorted out that day the
customary allowance of tobacco to each man, which I had been fortunate
enough to save in our accidents.
When I offered the chocolate to Alcides, he handed his cup to Filippe to
bring to me, and when it was handed back to him he flung it away saying
he would prefer to die rather than drink the filthy English stuff.
Matters were a little critical. A great number of rollers were required
and a number of wooden rails. Curiously enough, the man X, who had been
the most violent that day, was the only one who came to thank me for the
chocolate, and offered to work, the others all refusing to move.
He and I cut down three or four trees, when the other men--ashamed of
themselves--took the axes and proceeded to work also. But instead of
cutting down trees which were straight they cut down the knottiest trees
they could find, and made rollers which were absolutely useless. It was
their silly way of wasting the little energy they had left. The result
was that they had to do the work over again and cut other trees and
other rollers.
Eventually we succeeded in pushing the canoe over the rocks until we were
some 20 m. from the water again. With some effort we succeeded in shoving
her along 18 m. out of those 20 m. There only remained the last 2
m.--unfortunately uphill, which made our effort a little greater. Here
the men again stopped work and refused to give that last push to get the
canoe over those rocks and then into the water. Once more they said they
would shoot me and then proceed through the forest on foot.
Matters looked bad indeed. Those 2 m., with a sharp angle upward, made an
insurmountable obstacle which I could not negotiate alone. With the
corner of my eye I saw the rifles of my men levelled at me. There was
only one way out of that difficulty--to give my men a little excitement.
"Very good!" I said to them. "If we have not the strength to move the
canoe over those rocks, we certainly have the courage to shoot the
rapid." I said I had never yet known a Brazilian who failed when it came
to courage, and I was sure they would not fail, as I had already seen how
brave they had been.
Flattery always answers.
"Come along, boys! We will take the canoe back into the rapid."
In a moment they had deposited their rifles on the rocks and they were
all helping me to push the canoe back the way we had come.
The rapid in that particular part was devilish--not unlike the narrow
channel we had gone through some time before. The passage, with high
rocks on either side, was tortuous, and threw the water with great force
from one side to the other, producing high waves in the centre in such
confusion that it was quite terrifying to look at them.
When my men looked at those awful waters, they suggested that perhaps we
had better let the canoe down with ropes. I had quite made up my mind
that we should lose the canoe for certain in that spot; and had we gone
down in her ourselves we should undoubtedly have lost our lives as well.
When we started taking her down with ropes--our ropes were all rotted by
that time, and had no strength whatever--the canoe was tossed about in a
merciless manner. I recommended my men as they ran along to beware of the
ropes catching on the cutting edges of the high rocks. No sooner had the
canoe started down the swift current than one of the ropes at once caught
on a rock and snapped. The men who held the other rope were unable to
hold it, and let it go. I saw the canoe give three or four leaps in the
centre of the channel and then disappear altogether. That was a sad
moment for me. But as my eye roamed along the foaming waters, what was my
surprise when I saw the canoe shoot out of the water in a vertical
position at the end of the rapid and waterfall! That was the greatest
piece of luck I had on that journey. By being flung out of the water with
such force she naturally emptied herself of all the water she contained,
and I next saw her floating, going round and round the whirlpool at the
bottom of the rapid.
The next problem was how to recover the canoe, as she happened to be on
the opposite side of the stream. There for more than two hours we watched
her going round and round, while we sat on the rocks, absolutely
speechless. Eventually we saw her gradually come out of the whirlpool and
drift slowly in the _recanto_ or backwater on the opposite shore some 400
m. away, revolving slowly around herself.
My men were perplexed. They now said they would all leave me at once and
proceed on foot. Under no circumstances whatever would they accompany me
any more. They must have their pay and go.
So after a few minutes I paid the salaries of all the men, excepting the
man X. To my surprise the men, instead of going, remained seated a little
way off.
I had a plan in my head of swimming across the river below the whirlpool,
where the water was placid although of great width, but I could not very
well place myself in such an awkward position as to leave on the river
bank the large sums of money which I carried on my person. I certainly
could not swim across such a long distance, and in such a current, with
the heavy bags of coin and banknotes round my waist. I feared--in fact,
felt certain--that in the mood in which my men were that day, the moment
I entered the water and was quite helpless they would fire at me and get
away with everything I possessed. I knew that they would never dare to do
it unless they could catch me in a helpless condition.
[Illustration: Rapid through which Author took his Canoe.]
I called Antonio--who was an excellent swimmer--and said that I offered a
reward of £10 to any men who swam across and recovered the canoe.
Antonio reflected deeply for some time, then consented to go if another
man went with him. For nearly an hour he confabulated with Filippe the
white man, who was also a splendid swimmer. It was with some relief that
I saw the two eventually enter the water, after a paddle had been tied
with long strings round each of their waists in order that they might be
able to bring the canoe back.
At the point where they started the river was 200 m. wide. Although
seemingly placid the current was strong. They drifted down some 300 m.--I
with my telescope keeping a sharp watch on the canoe, which was still
going round and round, and was now once more almost entirely filled with
water. No sooner had the men, quite exhausted, reached the opposite bank
than the canoe, which had been in that spot for some hours, for some
reason or other started out and proceeded to float down stream in the
very centre of the river. Filippe the negro and I at once started on a
chase on our side of the water, in case she came near enough to seize
her. I shouted and signalled to the men on the opposite bank to swim
across once more to try and catch her in mid-stream.
As luck would have it, after a chase of several kilometres, over cutting
rocks and great banks of sand in which we sank up to our knees--while the
naked men with their paddles ran as fast as they could on the opposite
bank--the canoe drifted close to the other bank once more, and the men
were able to board her. It was a great relief to me when at last the
canoe was brought over to our side and we towed her back so as to get
the baggage on board and proceed on our journey.
Each of the two men who had rescued the canoe at once received the reward
I had offered, and Filippe the negro, who had shown willingness in
recovering the boat, also received a handsome present.
The entire day of August 12th had been spent in going those few hundred
metres of the rapid. Our camp that evening was but 400 m. from that of
the day before.
The minimum temperature of August 12th had been 70° F., whereas during
the night of August 13th it was 62° F.
That little adventure had pulled the men together somewhat. I spoke in
great praise of the courage that Antonio and Filippe had shown in
swimming across the stream.
The river was smooth for a little distance, when we proceeded once more
with our navigation; but soon it became narrow--only 40 to 50 m.
wide--with strong eddies in its deep channel between rocky sides. Some
magnificent sand beaches 15 to 20 ft. high were observed, particularly on
the right bank, not far from a tributary 3 m. wide which entered the main
river on the left side. Lower down, the river described a sharp turn, and
there we met another most dangerous rapid. It was entered by a passage 50
m. wide, after which a circular basin of rock--evidently an ancient
crater--100 m. in diameter appeared; then the water flowed out with
terrific force by a channel only 30 m. wide. The stream produced
prodigious eddies in the circular basin. Waves of great height were
dashed to and fro from one side to the other of the narrow channel,
between high rocks on either side. The water flowed first in a direction
E.S.E. for 500 m., then turned off suddenly to due east for a distance of
400 m. That spot was most difficult for us to go through.
Soon after, the river turned due north and broadened to a width of 120 m.
for some 4,000 m. A great basin was crossed, with submerged rocks,
forming counter currents of great power and most unpleasant whirlpools. I
observed with some concern a stupendous vortex 30 m. in diameter and with
a deep central depression. The water revolved with such velocity and
force that it formed a series of high-crested white waves running one
after another at a terrifying speed around its periphery. The water was
raised around the vortex certainly 10 or 12 ft. above the level of the
river--owing to the opposition between the rotating water and the
current. We gave that vortex as wide a berth as we could; it really
frightened one to be near it, although there was no particular danger
unless we got right into it.
A charming island was passed soon after, on which, as well as on the left
bank, were innumerable rubber trees, but there were none on the right,
where _chapada_ was to be seen.
We had in front of us a hill range 300 ft. high. As we went farther we
were in a channel between high rocks strewn about along both banks in
fragments of great size; then we were once again in a circular basin with
high vertical rocks--perhaps another extinct crater. We were here in a
region of volcanic formation. No sooner had we passed this basin than we
came upon another bad rapid, 400 m. long, which divided itself into two
channels, after going through a narrow passage not more than 30 m. wide,
where we got tossed about in a most alarming manner, being once or twice
nearly dashed to pieces against the rocky sides. We had had so much
trouble with the rapids that day that by sunset we had only gone 19 kil.
600 m. Since we had come to that volcanic region we had found rocks with
great holes in which stagnant water lay. Myriads of insects--regular
clouds of them--worried us nearly to death.
[Illustration: Conveying the Canoe by Hand down a Rapid.]
On August 14th we started early, the minimum temperature having been 70°
F. during the night. After leaving the rapid we came to a great basin
1,000 m. across. A most beautiful sand beach 300 m. long was to be seen
on the left side, below a vertical cliff of great beauty, 200 ft. high.
Another great sand beach was to be seen on the right of the river, where
it described a sharp turn to 30° b.m. Then the river dashed through a
passage of rocks only 80 m. broad, and emerged once more into another
great basin with many indentations in its rocky coast.
Some 6 kil. beyond, another basin was found, with more rocks strewn on
and near its eastern bank, and a number of rocky islets. A high hill
range with vertical cliffs stood on the west side and ended abruptly at
the end of the basin. Low hills ran all along the river on the left side.
The river had an average width here of 250 m., and flowed mostly in
directions between north-west and north-east.
We went down all the time on troubled waters, with rocky banks and
innumerable obstacles all the way. We went through another terrible and
most intricate rapid--the Labyrinth--and passed through a channel only 40
m. wide between high rocky banks. Then, after that, for 9,500 m. we had
fair and smooth navigation, with a range of flat-topped hills 300 ft.
high, extending from W.S.W. to E.N.E., in front of us to the north-west.
Here there was a regular maze of channels, all more or less bad. We did
not follow the principal one, which was strewn with rocks, but a smaller
one, at the end of which, unfortunately, we found a barrier of rocks
which we could not surmount. We had all the trouble of dragging the canoe
back up the rapid until we could turn her round into another channel.
We arrived at the waterfall of S. Simão, where we went through numerous
channels, following the right bank as much as we could, until we arrived
at a gigantic staircase of rock, down which the water divided itself into
little channels. We took all the baggage over the rocks on the right
bank--a very heavy task, as we had to climb up and down big boulders with
sharp edges. We slipped many times with the loads we were carrying, and
many, indeed, were the patches of skin we left behind in that particular
place. We had a great deal of trouble in finding a place where we could
take the canoe down. Eventually we had to go right across the stream over
the waterfall and land on an island of rock in the centre of the river,
where I had seen with my telescope that we might perhaps find a suitable
passage for the canoe.
Crossing the river diagonally just above the fall was risky work, and
although we described a big arc up the stream, we only just managed to
make the island before we were borne down by the current.
The horseshoe-shaped waterfall was about 300 m. across and some 30 ft.
high. When the river is full it must be beautiful, for the east side,
which was then absolutely dry, is covered entirely by water, which must
form a wonderful series of cascades. When the river is in flood, the
waterfall, extending from north-west to south-east, has a total width of
1,000 m. There were some picturesque bits of rugged foliated rock over
that great staircase, and huge cracks through which the water gurgled and
foamed--those fissures formed not by the erosion of water but by volcanic
action, perhaps by an earthquake. The large fall to the north-west, over
which the water flows in every season, had on one side of it a steep
incline, down which we took the canoe until we came to a drop about 15
ft. high.
We halted for the night just above that high drop, spending a most
miserable night, being simply devoured by insects. The minimum
temperature during the night of August 15th was 72° F.
My men were in a beastly temper in the morning, when we had to proceed,
as on previous occasions, to make an artificial channel by moving
innumerable boulders of all sizes. It was a heavy task, for we hardly had
any strength left, our meals having been most irregular of late.
A channel was not so easily made in that particular spot, as there were
some boulders which we could not possibly move, and the canoe must be
made to go over them.
We had only been working for a few minutes, when again there was a riot
among my men; again they took to their rifles and said they would leave
me and the canoe there. Worse luck, the canoe got stuck hard on a rock,
and the men could not move her. I cut down some rollers and some levers
of the hardest woods I could find in the forest near there, and when once
I had set to work a little more intelligently than they did, I had no
difficulty in moving the canoe along. Eventually, with my men swearing at
me the whole time, the canoe was safely at the foot of the waterfall.
We were in great luck that day, for we found plenty of wild fruit--very
nutritious--and we killed one or two large birds. My men grumbled all the
time, saying that they were dying of starvation, no meal being a meal at
all in Brazil unless accompanied by a small mountain of _feijão_ (black
beans). I had a few boxes of sardines left, but I reserved those for
extreme occasions which might yet come.
At the bottom of the fall was an immense basin, 1,200 m. wide and 3,000
m. long from north to south. The temperature was stifling that day--96°
F. in the shade, and the sky overladen with clouds.
Fourteen kilometres by river below the S. Simão came another waterfall,
that of All Saints.
Observations with the hypsometrical apparatus gave an elevation of 772
ft. above the level of the sea.
We halted above the rapid on a beautiful beach. A curious thing happened.
Antonio in jumping into the water out of the canoe felt something sharp
under his foot. In looking down he saw a magnificent sword. On taking it
out of the water we found that it was an old sword of the time of the
Emperor Pedro II. A fight must have taken place there between a Brazilian
expedition and the Mundurucu Indians, who at that time were to be found,
I believe, in that region. Presumably the expedition had been attacked at
that spot while trying to land. The sword was in excellent preservation.
[Illustration: Canoe being taken along an Artificial Canal made by
Author and his Men.]