Jacares savages—Mouth of Beni river—Obstructions to
steamboat navigation—Madeira river falls—Lighten the boat—Pot
holes—Granite—Pedreneira falls—Caripuna savages—Pedro milks a
savage woman—Bilious fever—Arrive at the foot of San Antonio
falls—The impracticability of navigating by steamboats the
falls of the Mamoré and Madeira rivers—Proposed road through
the territory of Brazil to Bolivia—Physical strength of
the white, black, and red men, compared under a tropical
climate—Tamandua island—Turtle eggs—Oil hunters—Borba—Mouth
of the Madeira river.
A bark canoe lay by the Bolivia shore. Our negroes blew their horns,
which brought four savages and a black dog to the bank. Two of them wore
bark frocks, and two were naked—real _red_ men. As we floated along by
the current, the following conversation took place between the savages
and the negroes: Savage—"Oh!" Negro in the bows—"Oh!" Savage—"Venha
ca"—come here—very clearly pronounced. We told them to come to us, and
they ran away, while we paddled slowly on. These Indians are of the
"Jacares" tribe; they were soon paddling after us fast. We waited but
a short time. Their swift canoe was constructed of one piece of bark,
twenty feet long, and four feet beam. The bark was simply rolled up
at each end, and tied with a vine from the woods; between the sides,
several stretchers, four feet long, were fastened to the edge of the
bark by small creepers, and a grating, made of round sticks fastened
together with creepers, served as a flooring, which kept the bottom
of the canoe in shape, when the Indian stepped into her. Two young
men dressed in bark dresses sat in the stern, or one end, with well
made paddles. On the other end sat two naked women, each with a paddle
lying across her lap. As they came alongside, amidships sat an old
chief with a basket of yuca, a bunch of plantains, a large lump of
_pitch_, and several small pieces of a superior quality, called by the
Brazilians "breu." The Indians use it for securing arrowheads, we find
it serviceable in sealing our bottles of fish, or fixing the screw to
our ramrod; besides which, the old man brought one small richly green
parrot for sale. We bought him out with knives and fish-hooks. One
of the women was good looking, the figure of the other was somewhat
out of the usual shape. On being presented with a shaving glass, they
expressed great pleasure, and one after the other looked as far down
their throats as they could possibly see by stretching their mouths
wide open. Their greatest curiosity seemed to be to explore the channel
down which so much of the results of their labor had passed. When they
saw their dirty, half-worn teeth, the holes in their ears, noses, and
under-lips, one of them poked her finger into her mouth through the
lower hole, and brutally laughed. They wore long hair behind, and clipt
it off square over the forehead, which gave them a wild appearance. The
women were very small; their figures, feet, and hands resembled those
of young girls. Their faces proved them to be rather old women. They
appear cheerful, laughing and making their remarks to each other about
us, while the men wore a surly, wicked expression of face. One of the
young men became very much out of temper with Pedro, because he would
not give _all_ the fish-hooks he had for some arrows. The old man seemed
very much excited when he came alongside, as though he half expected
a fight. He was a middle-sized person, and chief of all the Indians in
his tribe who inhabit the Bolivian territory. He represents his tribe
as few in numbers and scattered over the country. Like the women, the
men have great holes in their noses and under-lips, but nothing stuck
in them. We supposed they were in _undress_ on the present occasion.
The chief inquired the names of the different persons, and wanted to
know which was the "captain" of the party. The women begged for beads,
and assumed the most winning smiles when they saw anything they wanted.
We invited the chief to accompany us to the next falls and assist us
over. He shook his head, pointed to his stomach, and made signs with
distressed expression of face that he would be sick. He was then told
we had more fish-hooks and knives; if he brought yuca and plantains
we would trade at the falls. To this he consented, but said his people
and the Indians below were not friendly, and that the enemy generally
whipped his people.
Three miles below Lajens we came to the mouth of the _Beni_ river. This
stream resembles the Mamoré in color and width; but while the latter has
a depth of one hundred and two feet, the former has only fifty-four feet
water. Temperature of Mamoré water, 81°; of Beni, 82°. Near the mouth
of the Beni there are islands. The whole width of the river is about
six hundred yards. The junction of these two streams forms the head of
the great Madeira, which is one mile wide.
In the month of October, 1846, Señor José Augustin Palacios, then
governor of the province of Mojos, explored the falls in the Mamoré
and Madeira by order of the government of Bolivia. We find the map of
Señor Palacios a remarkably correct one. He ascended the Beni for a
short distance, finding a depth of seventy feet water to the foot of
the falls beyond which he did not go, but returned and continued his
course down the Madeira to the foot of its falls, when he retraced his
steps to Mojos by the way he came. We have accounts of many falls on
the Beni river from the province of Yungas down to the town of Reyes,
between which falls the river is navigated by the Indians in wooden
balsas. The Beni has never been explored throughout its length, but
with the falls above Reyes and those seen by Señor Palacios near its
mouth, which appear to have prevented him from ascending this stream
on his return, we have reason for saying the Beni is not navigable
for steamboats. The outlet for the productions of the rich province of
Yungas is to be sought through the country from the gold washings of
Tipuani to the most convenient point on the Mamoré between Trinidad and
Exaltacion. The distance from the latter place to Reyes, on the Beni,
is not very great. From the general conformation of the bottom of the
Madeira Plate, we are of the impression that the road would have to be
cut high up towards the base of the Andes, so as to clear the annual
floods. The Mamoré, therefore, is the only outlet for the eastern part
of the department of La Paz, as well as a great part of the department
of Santa Cruz. The ridge of hills and mountains at the base of which
the Beni flows, stretching from the falls of Madeira to the sources
of the river Madre-de-Dios, or Purus, separates the Madeira Plate from
the Amazon basin, and divides the department of the Beni from the Gran
Paititi district in Brazil, which extends north to the Amazon river.
Paititi, it may be remembered, was the name given by Padre Revello to
our favorite dog, lost on the road from Cuzco to Lake Titicaca.
We are about to pass out of the Madeira Plate, having arrived at the
northeast corner of the territory of Bolivia. The lands about the mouths
of the Beni and Mamoré are now inhabited by wild Indians; some parts of
them are free from inundation. Cacao grows wild in the forests. The head
of the Madeira contains a number of islands. Here we find the outlet of
streams flowing from the Andes and from the Brazils collected together
in one large river. Water from hot springs and cold springs, silvered
and golden streams joining with the clear diamond brooks, mingled at
the temperature of 82° Fahrenheit.
The Madeira river flows through the empire of Brazil, and keeps the
northerly course pointed out for it by the Mamoré. The first falls we
met were close to the junction of the Mamoré and Beni, called "Madeira,"
three-quarters of a mile long. It is difficult to judge the difference
of level between the upper and lower surfaces of the river. As the falls
are shelving, and extend a great distance in length, the distance we
run during the day is not easily estimated. At one time we go at the
rate of fifteen miles an hour, and then not more than one mile in half
a day. This fall is not less than fifteen feet. Large square blocks of
stone stand one upon another in unusual confusion. The boat was paddled
through for a quarter of a mile, and by passing half the baggage out
over the rocks, she was sledded and floated through narrow channels
close along the eastern bank. The whole bed of the river, as we stand
at the foot of the fall and look up, is a mixture of rough rocks laying
in all positions on the solid foundation of granite, surrounded by
foaming streams of muddy water. While we loaded our boat again at the
foot of the falls, Titto discovered some Indians approaching us from
the woods. They came upon us suddenly, from behind a mass of rocks, with
bows and arrows in their hands. Don Antonio had warned me before I left
him to be on my guard when the savages came up in this way. He said
when they send women and children to the boat in advance, then there
is little chance of a difficulty with the men; but when the women and
children are kept in the rear, and the men come with bows and arrows in
hand, the signs are warlike. We were, therefore, prepared. We, however,
recognised our friends, the Jacares. An old chief brought a woman along
loaded with roast pig and yuca. She carried a deep, square willow basket
on her back, suspended by a strap of bark cloth round her breast. The
chief and his two men were dressed in bark cloth frocks and straw-hats,
while the only thing on the woman's back was her basket. One hand bore
an earthen pot, which she also offered for sale. Titto traded with
the party, and they gradually became much more easy in their manners
towards us. For the want of an interpreter, I could not make out what
customs were observed among them. These Indians bear the name among
Brazilians of great thieves. They, however, appeared to be perfectly
satisfied when we left them with the reasonable exchange. The passion
expressed by one at Pedro for not giving him all his fish-hooks for a
few arrows rather leads us to believe that, if they had outnumbered us,
they would have been troublesome. We gave them no opportunity to treat
us unkindly, for we were exceedingly polite, and so well armed with
all, that they very justly acted their part in a spirit of reciprocity.
There is great difficulty in knowing how to meet the savage. Treat him
as a civilized man, and his better feelings are touched. It won't do to
approach him indirectly, letting him see that, while willing to trade,
there is a prudent readiness for a fight. They took a polite leave of us
by shaking hands all round. We introduced the custom, which they seemed
to like, though the stiffness of their elbow joints proved they did not
understand the matter. They sauntered up the rocky bank on the sand to
where they had left their bark canoe at the head of the falls, and we
went dashing on through the rocks in the rushing current.
_September 23._—The river was seven hundred yards wide, and one hundred
and five feet deep. We passed "Misericordia" rapids, or swift current,
but not a ripple was to be seen. The channel was clear of rocks, and we
soon came to the "Ribeirao" falls, which are two miles long. The baggage
was carried five hundred yards over a path on the east bank. Don Antonio
transported his vessels on wooden rollers here. I think he said he was
nearly one month getting up these two miles. The men were anxious to see
whether they could not pass this fall with the boat in the water. They
launched her down one shoot of twenty feet nearly perpendicular by the
rope painters in the bow and stern.
Our boat was beginning to give way to the rough service, and as she
leaked, it became necessary to lighten her load; then, too, the men
began to fag. After they succeeded in getting the boat safely over a
dangerous place, the boxes had to be carried one by one. The heaviest
box was that in which were planted three specimens of Mojos sugar-cane.
I had just cut my first crop, and found the plants were doing well, when
it became necessary to relieve our little boat, and we were unwillingly
obliged to leave behind what might have proved of importance to a
Mississippi sugar-planter. Our baggage was taken out and restowed a
number of times. Once the boat was on top of a rock, at another half
under foam. The sun was scorching hot, and we had the full benefit of
it. When the water is thrown on the bare rocks, it hisses as if poured
upon hot iron.
The sides of the pot-holes are ridged like the inside of a female screw;
some of them are nine feet deep. The water in them is quite hot; one of
the negroes seemed to be fond of lowering himself into the pots of hot
water; his face had rather a distressed expression, and while standing
with his head above the edge of the pot, he looks as though undergoing a
hot-water cure. The river appears to have worn away the rocks less than
above. It flows over a solid mass, in which there are many gutters cut,
from four to six feet deep, of the same width. Our canoe safely passed
through one of these by the ropes, as the crew walked along the level
rock. There were numbers of these gutters cut parallel to each other.
The rock was worn as smooth as glass. After descending some distance
in the middle, we found the channels so large and dangerous, that we
must gain the east side of the river; the only escape for us, besides
retracing our steps, was to cross a wide channel with a furious cataract
above, and another close below. We hugged the foot of the upper as close
as possible, and the men pulled with such force that one of the paddles
broke when we reached half the way. With the remaining three, we made
a hairbreadth escape; the boat could not have lived an instant had we
been carried over the lower fall. The rollers formed by the swiftness of
the current are five feet high; large logs are carried down so fast they
plough straight through the waves, and are out of sight in an instant.
The men came near upsetting the boat in a dangerous pass. They seem to
be giving out through pure exhaustion. They have very little to eat;
farinha adds not much to their strength, and jerked beef spoils. No fish
are to be found, nor birds; a monkey would be a treat. Night overtook us
half way down the falls, and we came to, on a barren rock, where there
were two small sticks of wood, of which we made a fire, boiled water,
and gave the men coffee. I observed a southern star, and turning for
another in the north, was glad to find it had passed the meridian, as
sleep was much more necessary than latitude. On the west side of the
falls stood three small hills; on the east side a large white-trunked
forest tree. This was the largest tree we had yet seen, though not quite
equal to a North American huge oak.
_September 24, 1852._—At daylight we _crawled_ on; it would be a mistake
to grace it with the name of travelling. The country is thickly wooded
with Brazil nuts and cacao trees interspersed. Four miles further down
we came to "Periquitos" rapids, which takes its name from numbers of
parrots inhabiting the woods. These parrots are green, scarlet, and
yellow, with long tails; they fly slowly overhead in pairs, crying an
alarm as we are seen approaching. We paddled through these few rocks
without the least difficulty. Banks of the river thirty feet high;
soundings fifty-four feet. At midday a thunder gust with rain came from
the _north_. As we are passing out of the Madeira Plate, we find the
climate changing; northerly winds bring rain here, while southerly winds
bring them farther south. At 3 p. m., thermometer, 86°; water, 83°.
"Araras" rapids were passed with much toil, easing the boat down by
ropes made of bark, which are best for such work as this; the water
has little effect upon them. The fall is small, and the channel clear.
While the men gathered Brazil nuts from the woods, we bottled a young
turtle, taken from among eggs found in the sand. Amphibia are poorly
represented; we see no alligators, snakes, or frogs. The water has
become much more clear; it has a milky appearance. The banks slope down
regularly; being covered with a light-green coat of grass, they have
the appearance of cultivation.
[Illustration: DESCENDING RIBEIRAO FALLS, MADEIRA RIVER, Brazil.
By Lieut. L. Gibbon U. S. N.
Lith. of P.S. Duval & Co. Phil.]
_September 25._—At 9 a. m., thermometer, 84°; water, 82°; light north
wind. At 2 p. m., thunder to the northeast. On the east bank were cliffs
of red clay fifty feet high, breaking down perpendicularly. We passed
the mouth of Abuna river, which is fifty yards wide, and flows in from
the southwest. At 3 30 p. m., thermometer, 86°; water, 82°. In the
evening lightning to the southwest. We came to a number of rocky islands
in the river, and took up our quarters on one of them for the night.
We slept under blankets; there is a heavy dew, and the nights are quite
cool. Richards was aroused by a severe pain in his ear; he was suffering
all night long. The men told me it was common among the soldiers at the
fort, caused by exposing the ear to night-air and dew. The only remedy
reported was "woman's milk," which was not at hand.
_September 26._—For the eighteen miles between the "Arares" rapids and
"Pedreneira" falls, we found a current of only one and a half mile per
hour, with a depth of sixty feet water. We have observed between all the
falls passed, that the current becomes slow, and as there is very little
damming up of the water by the falls, that the general inclination
could not be great. We also found the land gradually getting higher, as
though the river was flowing through a country which sloped against the
current. We find at the "Pedreneira" falls the strata perpendicular;
the river does not flow over a flat mass of rock as before, but cuts its
way through a vertically grained rock; so fair and square has the river
worn its passage, that the gap resembles a breach in a stone dam. The
river turns from its northern course at a right angle, and flows east,
inclining a little south, as though it wanted to turn back and flow into
the Madeira Plate again. We suppose this fall to be situated on the top
of that ridge of hills and mountains extending across South America from
the Andes to Brazil. We are now on the chain which fastens Brazil to the
base of the great mountains, and the river is sawing across and cutting
it gradually asunder. Part of our baggage was carried over, and our
boat towed along the east bank with less difficulty than we expected;
we found a rapid current below.
On the south bank of the river we saw two bark canoes; the negroes gave
us music on their cow's horns, and two red women appeared on the bank at
a path in the thicket; they belonged to the "Caripuna" tribe. We pointed
down the river, and called for "_Capitan Tupé_;" they ran away, and we
continued to the Paredao falls. A whale boat might pass through the main
channel with ease, but our boat was too small to attempt it. The baggage
was landed on a sand-beach near the rocks, which were elevated forty
feet above the water level. In the rainy season the floods cover them
all except ten feet. I climbed up to the top for a view of the country,
and to seek a passage for the boat. The men had a short distance to
paddle, and then tow her through a narrow channel by the ropes. The
landing-place was in the rapid current; they missed it, and the boat ran
away with them through the rocks—they were carried at a frightful rate;
Titto shouting to the negroes at the top of his voice to pull for their
lives, so that he might steer them safely, which he fortunately did.
They were all so much frightened that it brought them to their working
powers. The sight was an interesting one for me, as the smallest rock in
their way would have dashed the boat to pieces. As I turned to go down I
found myself surrounded by a party of savage women and children, who had
come up behind me. There were eight women, ten children, and two unarmed
men, all, from external appearances, savages of the purest water. On
taking out my handkerchief, the women and children all laughed! One of
the men stepped before me, and putting his hand into my pocket, took
all the fish-hooks out, and appropriated them to his own use, by handing
them to a homely woman who bore a sucking baby, and then coolly inquired
whether I had a knife to give him. He was a short, thick-framed man,
quite fat and hearty; the women were all ugly; the boys were the most
cheerful, manly-looking Indians we ever met with. At my suggestion, they
walked to the boat with me. Their chief' "Capitan Tupé," as they call
him, was absent on a hunting excursion. Their huts were some distance
from the falls, so that we missed seeing their houses. They were quite
friendly with us. Some of the men who came afterwards, left their bows
and arrows behind the rocks, and walked up unarmed. The women carried
their babies under the arm, seated in bark cloth straps, slung over
the opposite shoulder. The infants appeared terribly frightened at the
sight of a white man; one of them screamed out when Pedro milked the
mother into a tin pot, for the benefit of Richards' ear, which still
troubled him. The woman evidently understood what was wanted with it,
and stood still for Pedro to milk her as much as he chose. The boys are
remarkable for large bellies, as the sketch of "Matuá" and his brother
"Manú" will show. The older ones express a willingness to go away from
their mothers; Manú was asked, by signs, if he would go with me; he
shook his head, no; when he was made to understand that he could get
a pair of trousers and something to eat, he then nodded his head, yes.
Pedro tells me they swell themselves up by eating earth, which Indian
children all do. One of the Caripunas got into the boat and examined the
baggage; he soon found a knife, which he took, and came out with it in
his hand, before everybody. It belonged to one of the negroes, who took
it from the Indian. The savage appeared disappointed; he was then told
if he would bring yuca or other provisions for the men, he should have
a knife. They all declared they had nothing to eat in their houses. We
made them a little present, and bought a bow with arrows from one of the
boys. They were particularly desirous of getting fish-hooks and knives.
[Illustration: MATUÁ AND HIS BROTHER MANÚ, CARIPUNA BOYS AND THEIR
BARK CANOE.
By Lieut. L. Gibbon U. S. N.
Lith. of P.S. Duval & Co. Phil.]
Matuá is in the full dress of the men, who wear beads of hard wood round
their necks, with bands bound tight round the arms above the elbow and
round the ankles. The foreskin is tied up to a band of cotton twine,
which is wound tight round the hips and under part of the belly. All
wear their hair long, and cut square off in front. In large holes in
their ears, they carry pieces of bone, or a stick of wood. Through the
hole in the nose a quill is pushed, the cavity being filled up with
different colored feathers, gives them a moustached appearance. These
people are nearly all of the same height and figure, but differ very
much in the features of the face. Some have thick lips, flat noses,
and round faces; others are just the reverse. The former very ugly,
and a few of the latter tolerably good looking. The women are larger
than those we saw near the mouth of the Beni. There are not many of
them; they live about in small bands, and said they found few fish in
the river. They promised to plant yuca and corn, so that the crew might
have something to eat on their return to the fort. As we embarked, they
said "_shuma_," which Pedro informed us meant "good man;" but probably
referred to more presents.
The lands on the south side of the river are inhabited by the Caripunas.
It is flat, and a beautiful spot for cultivation. Small mountains and
hills are in sight on the north side, as we descend by a rapid current.
The river seems to be creeping along on a ridge, seeking an outlet to
the north. At 3 30 p. m., thermometer, 90°; water, 83°; light northerly
airs; thunder to the north, and a rainbow to the northeast.
_September 27._—At "Trez Irmaós" rapids we found no difficulty. A large
island in the middle of the river chokes it, and the water rapidly
flows through two channels. As we dashed by, the men blew their horns
for "Capitan Macini," another Caripuna chief, who lives on the south
side of the river, with a small band of his tribe. Pedro speaks of
"Capitan" in complimentary terms. He is represented as being exceedingly
obliging; we wanted his services as pilot, but missed him. After passing
"Trez Irmaós" rapids, the river turns north. A rapid current carries
us through a chain of hills on each side, tending east and west. The
foliage is unusually green and thick; forest trees have been broken
by the action of violent winds. We scarcely are fairly launched out of
the Madeira Plate into the Amazon basin, before we meet, at midday, a
storm of wind and rain from the northeast, accompanied with thunder.
We find the sea-way in mid-channel much too high for our little boat,
and bring to. While the storm passes, the wind carries a cloud of dry
sand before it. At 3 p. m., thermometer, 85°; water, 84°. We are now
being avalanched down an inclined plane. Arriving at the head of "Giráu"
falls, we find the true falls of the Madeira. They are short, but the
rush of waters through a confined space, between immense masses of rock,
baffles large sized vessels, and prevents their passing either up or
down the river. Don Antonio transported his boats over the land here.
Richards was suffering very much from his ear; his under eye-lid hung
down, the corner of his mouth became drawn up on one side, while he
seemed to lose control of the muscles of his face; the pain was beyond
endurance. All the men began to feel the effects of the change of
climate; the nights cold, and midday sun very hot. They complained of
headaches and pains in their backs; the strongest of them were jaded.
Before they went to sleep, I dosed the party with raw brandy all round,
which cheered them up. They have been much more respectful lately, and
work with a will.
_September 28._—The men are all in better health this morning. They
carried the baggage through the woods on the east side of the river,
and with the greatest difficulty got the canoe through the rocks. The
river has been turned to the eastward by hills on the north side. The
fall cannot be estimated with any degree of certainty; the descent is
more precipitous, and the roaring of the foaming waters much greater
than any we before met. We were from daylight until 3 p. m., making the
passage from the upper to the lower side, before we got breakfast, which
we took under the shade of trees, where the thermometer stood at 99°;
wind northeast.
Pedro shot a few fish with his arrows, and a negro caught one with a
line. As the vegetable kingdom appears fresh and vigorous, under the
strong breezes filled with moisture from the North Atlantic, so again do
we find animal life in abundance. The trade-winds from the ocean cross
the land from Cayenne, in French Guiana, and strike this side of the
Amazon basin. The clouds roll up, and the waters are wrung out in drops
of rain.
The Paititi district of country which we have on our west, and the
Tapajos district on the east, are watered by the northeast trade-winds.
They get their moisture from the north Atlantic, and here we find on the
side of these hills the boisterous region again, and the trees are torn
up by the roots. These acts of the northeast trade-winds are written
upon this slope of the Amazon basin exactly as we met the southeast
trade-winds as they struck the Andes on their way from Rio Janeiro. The
Caripuna Indians we have just left told us they came _down_ the Madeira
for fish. They find little game and no fish, even in these mighty
waters, above the boisterous region. The two Yuracares Indians we met on
the side of the Andes said they would catch us fish when we got further
down the rapid Paracti. Fish are just as particular in their choice of
waters and _climate_ as those animals which inhabit the dry land.
The foam that is produced by the water dashing over the rocks floats
aloft in the shape of mist; and in the calm, clear, starlight nights,
the gentle northeast breezes cast a thin gauze-like veil around us and
affects the glasses of our instruments. All observations of the stars
seem to be forbidden. Early in the morning, as the sun's rays strike
upon the river, they gradually absorb the mist, and first that portion
which has been scattered by the night winds, and looking just then, up
or down the river from an eminence, the traveller may see the position
of each cataract, like the smoke of a line of steamers. The powerful
sun soon evaporates this mist, which speedily disappears as it rises.
One of the crew caught a small electrical eel, which opened its galvanic
battery and shocked the whole party. A rapid current, and no bottom at
twenty-five fathoms water.
_September 29._—We get our baggage stowed and all on board ready for
a long pull, but soon fetch up among the rocks again. "Caldeiráo do
Inferno" rapids are caused by three rocky and somewhat wooded islands in
the river. We pulled part of the way through on the west side without
discharging baggage; the boat was gently eased down by the ropes. At
the foot of these falls, which could not be passed by a steamboat, we
discovered a bark canoe, manned with savages, paddling with all their
might away from us; they seemed to be very much alarmed, and were
soon out of sight. As we came to a place rather too rapid for safety
among rocks, the men got out and towed us along the north bank; while
doing so, three savage men, three women, three children, and five most
miserably thin skeleton dogs, came to see us. The men laid their bows
and arrows behind the rocks, and approached us without fear, but the
slim dogs were disposed to show fight. They were weak and slab-sided
animals; quite unsuccessful in their endeavors to raise a bark at us,
but coughed out a sickly sort of noise, as they hung around their
masters' legs. One had his ears boxed by a tiger, which gave him a
perpetual stiff neck. They all looked as though they had been vainly
struggling with the beasts of the forest. An unsightly old woman brought
us a fried fish fresh from the river. One of the men had bilious fever,
but was attended by a pretty girl, who took her paddle in one of the
canoes which kept company with us. The parrots swarm along the banks
of the river, but there are few other birds. The current runs at the
rate of six miles per hour. River three quarters of a mile wide, with
sand-banks and islands in the stream. We landed on the north bank with
the Caripuna savages; men, women, and children, all seated themselves
in a friendly way round our cow-hide, which was spread on the ground
for breakfast.
Richards was left in charge of the boat, while I, with one of the
negroes armed with a musket, followed a path through the woods single
file for a quarter of a mile from the river. As we came in sight of huts
the men and boys gathered under an open house at the end of the path;
the women all seized their babies and ran into two enclosed buildings
in the rear. The savages did not take up their bows and arrows, which
however lay at hand, but several of them held knives, and others picked
theirs up. Thomas, the tall negro soldier, came to a stand just outside
of the shed, while I walked under and took a seat in one of the grass
hamacs slung between the posts on which the roof was supported. The boys
all laughed, and gathered round me. One man came up and leaned against
a post close by me with his arm elevated. He held a knife in his hand;
my hand was concealed under my jacket, where Colt's revolver rested in
a belt. The Indian wanted to test me, as is their custom. A fine large
rooster passed by. Savage was asked to sell it by signs of hunger. He at
once took down his hand, and called out to the houses, when the women
came out with their babies. One of them, a good-looking squaw, came to
him, and they had a consultation about the chicken. She nodded her head,
and the boys gave chase to catch it for me.
There were thirty savages living in this wild, out-of-the-way place.
One of the men was chipping off the outside of a hollow piece of log
with his knife for a _drum_, two of which already hung up under the
shed. They expressed no pleasure at seeing us. They looked as though
they preferred we would go away. The roof of the wooden house under
which the men were collected was beautifully thatched with a species
of wild palm-leaf. The frame-work was made of poles stripped of their
bark, fastened together by vines or creepers. The whole rested upon
forked posts set in the ground, between which there were slung a number
of grass hamacs. Bows and arrows were their only home-made arms. The
knives were imported. After making friends with them, they all came
up, shook hands, and took a good look at me. The floor of the guard or
men's house was swept clean. It seemed to be kept in military order,
clear of all household or kitchen furniture. One of the men and several
women went with me to examine the dwelling-houses of the women. The
roof extended within two feet of the ground. The sides and gable ends
were also thatched in, with a doorway at each corner, and one in the
centre next the guard-house; five entrances in all. The inside presented
a confused appearance. Piles of ashes were scattered about the ground
floor as though each woman had her separate fireplace. The inside
measured about forty feet by fifteen. Earthen pots and plates were lying
about in confusion; dirty, greasy hamacs hung up; tamed parrots were
helping themselves to plantains. An ugly monkey looked dissatisfied at
being fastened by the hinder part of the body to a post. The unpleasant
variety of odors drove us out. In the third house there were but two
doors. Here the miserable dogs kept up a terrible noise. The women took
me to the hamac of an old sick Indian, who they made signs was dying by
laying their heads on the palms of their hands and shutting their eyes.
He was covered with a bark cloth blanket, which was cast off by him
so that I might see his thin legs and body. He was very much reduced.
By the whiteness of his hair, I judged he was dying of old age, or
suffocated inside this damp, filthy house, where he seemed to have been
turned to the dogs. There was one house in which the women slept. The
open house was the sleeping apartment of the men and boys. There was
great order among the men; the grounds round about were swept. Where
the women were seemed all confusion and want of cleanliness. Their faces
were covered with dirt. As to their clothing, we could better describe
what they did not wear.
We saw no signs of a _place_ of worship, nor of what was worshipped,
though the Brazilians say they have seen among them "wooden images,"
figures of head and shoulders in shape like a man. A Catholic priest
once visited these people, but found no encouragement. They looked on
indifferently, taking more interest in the music of a violin and the
singing than in anything else. The lofty forest trees shade the little
huts; a path leads farther inland, where they cultivate patches of yuca
and corn, though they have little to eat from the land at present, and
take to the river for food. The children of these Indians strike us as
being remarkably intelligent, compared with those on the tops of the
Andes. All Indian children seem to be in much brighter spirits than
the older ones. They have yet to be taught the art of using chicha,
which the women are said to give their husbands here in the woods.
We gave the multitude an invitation to join us at breakfast. A little
boy walked by me with the rooster under his arm, and they all followed
single file, with the music of crying babies, to the bank of the river,
where they seated themselves round. Some presents were made to them
in exchange for the offer of several chickens and a large partridge.
To the little girls we gave earrings, to supply the place of fish or
beast-bones; to the boys fish-hooks; and to the men knives. The elderly
women particularly fancied looking-glasses for themselves, and glass
beads for their babies. One very unattractive woman requested me to make
her an additional present of a looking-glass. A knife had been offered,
which she particularly requested. She received the refusal with such a
savage side-glance, that the damage was repaired at once, and the men
ordered into the boat. Her sister used paint. Her forehead was besmeared
with a red color, and her lips blackened. We presented her with a large
looking-glass, which she used for examining as far down her throat as
possible. Pedro had a slight difficulty with one of the savages, who
he said had stolen his knife from the boat. I replaced it, and we went
on without being disturbed, though, as we afterwards learnt, these
fellows not long since robbed two Brazilians on the river, who escaped
down stream in one of the bark canoes of the savages, leaving their own
boat behind. At 3 p. m., thermometer, 91°; water, 85°; river one mile
wide, interspersed with islands and rocks, twenty-five fathoms depth.
On the east side a small stream of clear water flows in. The water of
these small side-streams are often 6° Fahrenheit cooler than the main
river water. We bottle it, as the river water is unpleasantly warm for
drinking. A man fully comprehends the blessing of ice by gliding down
this river. The current is fast one hour and slow the next few minutes.
The men pull when they feel like it, and rest when they wish. We are
moving along, more or less, all the time during the day. The river is
not very winding.
_September 30._—About twenty-five miles on a northeasterly course
brought us to "Doz Morrinhos" rapids. The difference of level here is
slight, though the passes are difficult. A part of the baggage was
handed over the rocks, which proved a prudent plan, as the boat was
nearly swamped. The country is quite uneven and thickly wooded. At
midday we had a light shower of rain, accompanied by thunder, without
wind. At 3 p. m., thermometer, 87°; water, 85°; with a strong southwest
wind. At the foot of these falls we sounded with five hundred and ten
feet, and no bottom.
At a late hour in the afternoon we arrived at the head of "Teotoni"
falls, the most terrific of them all. Here I was attacked with a severe
bilious fever, which brought me at once on my back. The pain in my left
breast was somewhat like that described by those who have suffered with
the "Chagres fever." We were all worn out, thin, and haggard. I had been
kept going by excitement, as the men were careless, brutal negroes, and
Richards suffering still with the pain in his ear.
_October 1._—This fall is over fifteen feet, ten of which is at an
angle of 45 degrees. The roaring made at intervals by the rushing of
the waters over and through the rocks, sounds like distant thunder.
Our little canoe is driven for safety out of the water to the land.
The baggage was carried by a path on the south side to the foot of
the falls. Richards went along with the first load, and remained below
looking out, while I rested to see every thing sent over. The men idled
their time between us, until we were caught in a heavy rain and thunder
storm from northeast. The boat was put upon rollers and transported four
hundred yards over a hill, and launched into the river below. We were
from daylight until dark at the work. I should not complain, however,
because men never had a more harassing time than these have had. If
alone, they would not have come half the distance in the same length of
time. They have pushed on for me, when I least expected they would keep
on.
We noticed that at nearly all the falls in the Madeira the river turns
as it cuts its way through the rocks, forming nearly a semi-circle
towards the eastward; after gaining the base of the declivity, the
stream returns again to its original course. Here the path over the
land describes a diameter. The storm continued all night in squalls. The
negroes took off their clothes and laid down upon the bare rocks under
a heavy rain, with cold wind, where they actually slept, while those of
the crew, with Indian blood, built a fire and slept on the sand close by
it in their clothes. The baggage was left on the sand bank until morning
covered with raw hides. We were well drenched, certainly a poor remedy
for bilious fever, particularly when followed by the heat of a tropical
sun.
_October 2._—Five miles below are "San Antonio" falls, which we passed
by tow-lines without disembarking our baggage. The difference of level
is very small; the bed of the river much choked with rocks. The stream
is divided into a great number of rapid and narrow channels. We took
breakfast on the west side, at the foot of these falls, with feelings
of gratitude we had safely passed the perils of _seventeen_ cataracts.
Those parts of the rivers Madeira and Mamoré, between the foot of
"San Antonio" and the head of "Guajará-merim" falls, are not navigable
for any class of vessels whatever; nor can a road be travelled at all
seasons of the year, on either bank, to follow the course of the river,
for the land bordering on the stream is semi-annually flooded. By
referring to the map it will be seen, we travelled from Guajará-merim,
on the Mamoré, in a due north course, to the Pedreneira falls, on the
Madeira. By the windings of the river, we estimate the distance not less
than one hundred miles. From the Pedreneira falls to the foot of San
Antonio, our direction was about east-northeast, a distance by the river
of one hundred and forty miles, which makes the space not navigable
two hundred and forty miles. A road cut straight through the territory
of Brazil, from San Antonio falls, in a southwest direction, to the
navigable point on the Mamoré, would not exceed one hundred and eighty
miles. This road would pass among the hills, seen, from time to time, to
the eastward, where the lands, in all probability, are not overflowed.
On a common mule road, such as we find in Bolivia, a cargo could be
transported in about seven days from one point to the other. Don Antonio
Cordoza was _five_ months struggling against these numerous rapids and
rocks to make the same distance, with his cargo in small boats. We have
been twelve days descending the falls, which is considered by Brazilian
navigators fast travelling. The wild woods that cover the lands are
unknown to the white man. Topographically considered, the lands on the
east side of the Madeira are the most valuable.
Our experience with a black crew gives reason to believe the climate
is more congenial to them than the white or red races. Among the
half-civilized and savage aborigines, we notice very few men live to an
old age; they generally pass away early; tribes are composed usually of
men under forty years. The moment we landed at Principe, there appeared
before us a number of active, gray-headed old negro women and men,
grinning and bowing, with as much life in their expression of face and
activity of manner as the youngest. Long after the savage has become
hamac-ridden with age, the negro, born before him, is found actively
employed. The physical strength of the negro is not equalled by the red
man here. The Indian enjoys the _shade_ of the forest trees, while our
negroes rejoice in the heat of the sun.
The India rubber is found in these woods, with quantities of Brazil nuts
and cacao trees. The whole forest is as constantly green as the snows
on the peaks of the Andes are everlastingly white, although the leaves
fall and the snow melts away. In the month of April, or thereabouts, the
sap which flows through the veins of these forest trees, begins to fall,
not suddenly, as the sap of the sugar-maple in our northern States, but
gradually and slowly, as the live-oak, magnolia, or other evergreens of
Florida. The sap descends from the topmost branches first; the leaves
begin to sicken for want of nourishment; they wilt, and the first that
falls to the ground is from the end of the branch which first lost its
sustenance. The _tide_ of sap ebbs a shorter time than is usual in a
climate where half the year is wintry. The _flood_ tide of sap goes up
in time to send out new leaves at the top of the tree before the last
on the lower limbs have fallen. During this rise and fall of the sap
in the trees tropical forests shed their leaves. The work is performed
in such a secret way, that it would not be observed, did we not find
the ground covered with dead leaves, while the trees are perfectly
green. On the Andes the llama, grazing near the snow line, had its back
thickly clothed with wool, while the ground was strewed with its last
year's crop. When the sun stands vertically over the llama, it sheds
its wool; when the sun passes far off on its northern tour, the leaves
fall from the forests at the base of those great mountains. Daring
the season of the year when the sap is in upward motion, the "rubber"
man taps the trees and gathers the milk, converting it into shoes by
smearing it over a last, and poking it into the smoke of a small fire
near by him. The guava and banana fall to the ground to fatten the wild
pecary; the oriole nestles in the tree-tops, and feeds its young in the
stocking-like nest which hangs from the tip ends of the limbs. Toucans
appear astonished at the songs of our negroes as we paddle down, leaving
the cataracts behind us.
At 3 p. m., thermometer, 86°; water, 84°; we bottled drinking water from
a small stream on the west side, having a temperature of 76°; width of
the river six hundred yards; sounded with two hundred and ten feet of
line without finding bottom; current two miles per hour. The channel
is perfectly clear of all obstructions; few logs are enabled to pass
safely through all the falls in the dry season, but when the river rises
they come down at a terrible rate, and in great numbers, though the
channel of the Madeira is seldom as much obstructed by drift-wood as
the Mississippi.
In the evening we arrived at Tamandua island; one hundred Brazilians
were engaged gathering turtle-eggs, of which they manufactured oil.
These men came up from the Amazon; the sight of them gladdened our
spirits; we had passed the savage race, and reached civilized man, on
the Atlantic side of the wilderness; we were out of the woods, though
the trees are larger here than on the southern side of the ridge of
hills through which the Madeira flows. The forests here resemble those
on the side and base of the Andes. The negroes supped on turtle-eggs,
while they drew comparisons between the people of the Amazon and those
of "_their_ country," as they called Cuyaba, on the other great South
American river. One of the oil merchants kindly invited us to take up
our quarters in his hut, but the fever kept me in bed in the canoe, with
pains that forbade sleep at night. He sent us two turtles, measuring
nearly three feet long, with one foot and a half of thickness. One of
them was a load for a man.
The turtle deposits its eggs in the sand on these river islands at the
beginning of the dry season, commencing in July and August. The heat of
the sun hatches the young; they dig holes four feet deep, by throwing
the sand on each side with the hind-flippers. The motion is quick and
sudden, casting the sand a distance of six and eight feet from them.
After reaching the depth required, the female drops eggs in the hole and
covers up the top with sand drawn in by her fore-flippers. There is an
equal distribution of labor; the hind legs dig the hole, and the fore
ones fill it up. The hole is gradually filled with from one hundred and
fifty to two hundred eggs. There is some difference of time between the
first deposit and the last; yet, so nearly does the turtle calculate
the depth of sand, and power of the sun, that all the eggs are said
to hatch exactly at the same time. The young turtle rises four feet
from the bottom of its birth place, to meet his little brother at the
surface. They trot to the river's edge side by side, where they practice
swimming, to be ready for the floods that come down from the distant
Andes soon after they are born.
The oil man ascends the river, with a fleet of canoes in company, manned
with workmen, loaded with provisions, copper boilers, spades, &c. They
know the time the turtle has laid its last egg, and while the eggs are
fresh, they dig them from the sand, beginning on one side of the island,
and turning up the soil to the proper depth. They throw out the eggs
like potatoes, while others gather them up in baskets. A canoe is washed
out, and the eggs thrown in and thoroughly broken by means of forked
sticks. The soft shell or skin, is pitched out; a quantity of water
poured in and left to stand in the sun. The oil rises on the surface;
this is skimmed off and heated in copper boilers. Being put up in large
earthen jars or pots, containing four or five gallons, it is sold in the
markets of the Amazon. In Pará, the price per pound varies from five to
ten mil reis. One silver dollar of Bolivia money is now worth eighteen
hundred reis. While the "manteca"—butter or oil—is fresh, it is used for
culinary purposes. The cook, of course, knows nothing of the number of
young turtles which may have been boiled in it during the late period of
digging. Its general use, however, is for lamp oil. The annual supply
from all the rivers in the Amazon basin is consumed within the mouths
of these rivers.
Turtle are now said to be scarce. We see millions of eggs destroyed by
the oil-hunters, who search all the islands, and drive the turtles from
one to the other. The men tell me there are no eggs to be found on the
island they worked at last year. The mother turtle was disappointed;
the little ones never made their appearance from out of the sand where
eggs were deposited, although they are not wise enough to understand the
boiling process their eggs had undergone, yet, something was known to
be wrong, and placing no faith in _that_ sand bank, every one deserted
it, and made use of an island they would not have chosen had they been
let alone. There the oil man continues to follow them. These turtle are
called by the Brazilians "Tortaruga Grande." There are said to be four
other kinds in the Madeira river, viz., "Cabecudá," "Trocajá," "Pitehú"
and "Matá-matá." The Tortaruga Grande is the best for eating and for
oil; they are also in greater abundance than the others.
Huts are built in the sand for the protection of the hunters against the
great heats of the sun in the day, and the rains. The men, who are of
Amazon Indian blood, have their wives with them. There are few negroes
at this business. Brazilians, of Portuguese descent, gather a band of
adventurers, or fishermen, who are willing to leave their homes for this
wild country, and seek their fortunes among the sands, where no diamonds
have yet been found. The life is a hard one; the exposure on the voyage,
and after they arrive on the ground, is great. Many of them have fevers,
their provisions get short, the water is warm, and unless the work is
carried on at a rapid rate, the young turtles begin to form in the egg,
which impairs the quality of the oil—to say nothing of the butter. Great
quantities of rum are consumed on these expeditions. The Portuguese set
up shop where rum is sold, and a debtor and credit account is opened
with the Indian workmen; in the same way the creole miner does with
those of the Andes, making profit, while he pays the workmen's monthly
wages—from three to five dollars—with provisions.
The workmen soon get tired and want to return. The employer takes out
a passport for them all at the last military post as he ascends; they
are forbidden to travel about the country without one. The workman
is held to his promise to remain during the season, good treatment or
bad, by retaining his passport. Our crew became intoxicated among their
countrymen, and danced part of the night with Amazonian girls, to the
tune of violins, in the huts, while heavy rain poured down in large
drops, accompanied with thunder and sharp lightning. Wind blowing fresh
from northeast.
_October 3._—The crew wished to remain among these greasy people, but as
we preferred floating on by the current, to laying by the side of the
oil canoes and hot sand bank, we pushed off with a _mail_ on board. As
we descend, the river stretches out in long bends towards the northeast.
Twenty-five fathoms sounding and no bottom. The width varies from six
hundred to a thousand yards. The country is level; the growth of trees
decreasing in size the lower we go.
_October 4._—At 9 a. m., thermometer, 88°; water, 87°. The small
streams which flow in from the eastern side are of a deep green color,
at 87° temperature. The banks are twelve feet high, and break down
perpendicularly.
_October 5._—This morning we met four "Muras" Indians fishing with
bows and arrows mid-channel, in small canoes, hewn from one log. One
canoe contained a woman and two children, under the thatched roof of
a little cabin. These people were all dressed in decent fashion. The
women wore a calico frock! The men were larger than the Caripunas, and
more reserved; it was with difficulty we could get them to stop and sell
us a paddle; we wanted to replace a broken one. A knife was paid for
it, when they desired to push off from us. Probably they were ashamed
of being fishermen without any fish; or had, at some time, met with
ill treatment. Sounded with twenty-three fathoms, no bottom. A short
distance further down, got bottom at thirty-six feet, and lost both lead
and line. There are a few snags in the channel, among which our line
was entangled.
My bilious has now turned to ague and fever. The stench from the muddy
banks, and stagnant pools of water, has become exceedingly offensive,
and at night we have musquitoes, which we were not troubled with among
the falls. The current varies in its speed from an half to two miles
per hour, showing an uneven surface. The ground over which it flows is
sloping in steps, or shelving, which gives the outward motion of the
water a jerking impetus. Islands, long and narrow, divide the stream
into two channels; yet the depth of water, and width of the passages,
are sufficient for all commercial purposes. Pedro tells me the "Toras"
tribe of Indians inhabit the east side of the river; we, however, saw
nothing of them.
_October 6._—We landed on the west bank, at "Roscenia de Crato,"
which is a frontier post of the Brazilians, on the Madeira. The entire
country between this settlement and the town of Exaltacion, in Bolivia,
is inhabited by savages. The Portuguese have ascended the Amazon and
Madeira thus far on their southwestward emigration. The Spaniards, who
crossed the Isthmus of Panama and the mountains of Bolivia, are now on
their northeast descent, to meet the Brazilians. The movement, on both
sides, is slow, but the white man is crowding close upon each flank
of the savage, who now occupies but a narrow strip of land between
the emigrants from Spain and Portugal—gradually working through the
wilderness towards each other.
Crato belongs, partly, to my friend Don Antonio Cordoza. A few years
ago, his father established a trading station here, where the Indians
come in from the wild woods with sarsaparilla, Brazil nuts, chocolate,
pitch, and guaraná, prepared from the seed of a fruit found in the
woods, represented to be somewhat like the wild cherry. The Indians
mash the seed between stones, and make a paste by adding water; after
being dried in the sun, it is rolled in one pound weights, and is sold
at the station at fifty cents per pound. Don Antonio sold guaraná in
Trinidad at four dollars. The Spaniards are exceedingly fond of it; the
price has been as high as eight dollars a pound, in the mountains of
Bolivia. Guaraná resembles prepared chocolate; a small quantity grated
in a tumbler of water with sugar, makes not only a very refreshing, but
a strengthening drink. The Indians use it when hunting or marching,
thinking it enables them to undergo a great amount of fatigue. The
trader pays the Indian in rum, hatchets, knives, fish-hooks, beads, &c.
We find four or five houses, inhabited by squatters, surrounded by a
beautiful pampa country; here and there clusters of forest trees. On the
plains the pasture proves excellent for the few cattle and horses that
have been brought up the river. Quantities of chickens flourish about
the house, with dogs and fat hogs.
The families are of Portuguese descent. A hamac was slung for me in a
house with a parlor on one side and a small sugar-mill on the other.
While the olive colored women sat sewing, the man was employed putting
sugar-cane between the vertical wooden cylinders, as our men turned the
beam by hand to get some sugar juice to refresh themselves. The people
were extremely kind and attentive. Mrs. Santa Ana, the wife of the man
to whom we brought letters, doctored us with chicken tea, declaring
"people died with the fever in this country who would not eat."
The soil is well adapted to the growth of the sugar-cane. We are told
the country far west is a prairie for a long distance, covered with fine
pasture. The Indians are called "Muras;" they are fond of trading, and
less warlike than some others, of whom little is known. They seem to be
pleased with the difference between rum and sarsaparilla.
We remained here all night to give the men a rest, and try to get _one_
night's sleep ourselves, but there was no rest with a high fever. The
river water cooled in an earthen monkey was refreshing.
Our boat was well washed out, and the baggage restowed; a large hog
killed for the men, and our chicken basket filled with fowls. We were
requested to take charge of the mail, a handful of letters, and embarked
with many thanks to our friends on the frontier.
Soundings vary from seven to twenty-one and a half fathoms. At 3 p. m.,
thermometer, 92°; water, 86°; calm.
_October 8._—During the night we had heavy rain, sharp lightning, and
thunder from northeast. At 9 a. m., thermometer, 83°; water, 85°. At 3
p. m., thermometer, 88°; water, 86°. The rest at Crato has refreshed us
all; the men pull stoutly; they are now civil and attentive, showing a
desire to behave themselves well, though we find a free negro the most
difficult character to control. The Indian attends to his duty without
being told to do so. The negroes begin to fear a difficulty with us,
and are coming round, not only to their daily work, with more spirit,
but are particular to show us respect. We would decline an offer of a
boat's crew of free negroes on another such expedition. We have felt
that had these men not been aware we were well on our guard since they
shot our dog, they would have murdered us without the least hesitation.
They disputed our authority and wanted to let us know it.
In the afternoon, as a black cloud comes from the northeast, the wind
turns up the sand on the beach and islands above the deep green foliage.
As the thunder roars and lightning flashes, we leave the troubled waters
of mid-channel and seek a safe little inlet in the bank, and secure the
boat till the raging storm passes. On the west bank was a small town of
the Muras Indians, built of palmetto wood, and thatched with the wild
palm leaf; it appeared to be deserted. The banks were forty feet high,
of red clay, and perpendicular. On the east side of the river there were
patches of maize. The forest trees are of less height as we descend;
long islands stretch from three to five miles, dividing the river in
twain. At the mouth of a small, clear, green water stream, we met a
party of Indians fishing in a log canoe. The men were naked, and the
women dressed in frocks. On one of the sand islands was their temporary
hut.
_October 12._—At 9 a. m., thermometer, 83°; water, 86°. For the last
three days we have passed through an uninhabited region, without
meeting with obstructions to steamboat navigation. The current one
mile per hour, and river in some places one mile wide. We met with
a fishing "cuberta," at anchor. This vessel is an Amazon craft, used
for trading up and down these rivers under sail, or polled, or towed
along the bank when the river is low. We went alongside and purchased
a dried "pirarucu" fish, which we all fancied the taste of at once; it
was new both to us and to the Cuyaba negroes. Pirarucus are taken by
the arrow, as they swim near the surface of the water; it has a small
head and thick body, covered with scales; they are found here from six
to eight feet long. After it is salted and dried in the sun, the meat
keeps well twelve months; boatmen toast or boil it without smothering
it in potatoes; it has no offensive smell, like boiled dried cod-fish.
We are told the fish called "peixe boi," (bull-fish,) of the Madeira,
is the same as the "vaca-marina," (sea-cow,) of the Ucayali, though
comparatively there are few taken. The captain of the "cuberta" was
lounging about the vessel with his coat off, while one or two men were
up the river in a small canoe fishing. The cable, by which the vessel
swung to her anchor, was made of a black grass like stuff, taken from
a species of palm-trees found on the Rio Negro, called "piassába,"
said to last longer in the water than out of it. Different-sized ropes
are made of the piassába, but the cordage of the vessel was generally
of Kentucky hemp. Her measurement was not over sixteen tons, rigged
schooner fashion. On deck, between the cabin and the forward house,
was a large box filled with earth, on which the crew built a fire and
cooked fish and turtle. We handed the captain a Bolivian silver dollar
in payment for fish, which he seemed pleased to take, and gave us large
copper coins in change. Titto, our negro sergeant, had to explain the
value of Bolivian silver in Brazil money.
At Porto de Mataurá a guard-house is situated on the east bank. Richards
climbed up the steep bank, and presented passports to the commander,
who was kind enough to send an officer to offer us a house if we
would remain. The officer returned again with a present of a couple of
watermelons, said to be an uncertain remedy for fever and ague. They
were small, only half ripe, but soon devoured, as they were the only
refreshing thing we had seen, except a little sugar-cane, since leaving
the fort. The suffering from fever was increased to agony when the same
dose had been imprudently repeated. Drinking water was 87°, and the
temperature of the air, in the shade, 89°. Under such circumstances
fruits and melons are luxurious. The temptation is great, but the sick
should be particularly guarded against using such injurious articles,
however pleasant to the taste.
As we move on the lands become more elevated, and are better adapted for
cultivation than others below Crato. The forest trees are small where
the lands are free from inundation, corresponding to observations made
as we floated into the middle of Madeira Plate, near Exaltacion. Small
streams of water flow in from the east, while, on the west, "madres," or
large pools, have an outlet through the bank. The rule is, high banks on
the east side of the Madeira, and low to the west, with few exceptions.
Springs are scarce. The water trickling down the blue, red, or yellow
banks is the coolest, even after being bottled and stowed under our
seats. The air is 96° Fahrenheit; the heat is very oppressive. Under
us there are twenty-four feet water; in some places no bottom at one
hundred and fifty-six feet. As the river rolls along straighter, we find
more irregularity in the channel, and width, in some places, full one
mile. On both banks we see small houses, with a few plantain and orange
trees about them. These are the settlements of the descendants of the
Portuguese. A canoe or two lay by the bank opposite each house. As we
swiftly passed along, by the force of paddles—for the current was only
one mile per hour—the bright moon rose up over the sea of foliage and
lit our way to the town of Borba, on the 14th of October, 1852.
With a bundle of letters, I crawled up the steep bank to the house
of Capitan Diogo, father of my friend Don Antonio. He ran his fingers
through grey locks of hair, and laughed at the idea of a man's getting
sick on such a voyage; gave me a horrible cup of tea made from the
leaves of a bush found in the woods, which put me to sleep, as he was
boasting of his extraordinary long travels up and down the rivers, and
how he used to doctor himself. He was very cheerful until he counted
the money brought from his son and partner, when he wanted to know "if
that was all Antonio had made on his trip to Bolivia."
In the morning our baggage was brought up, and the soldiers turned over
to the commander of police. Borba is a small town of three hundred
inhabitants. Two rows of miserable wooden huts stand parallel with
a most distressingly dilapidated church; bells, old and cracked, are
hung under a small shed near the door. On the soil, whence the forest
trees had been cleared, was a thick sod of small bladed grass, on which
a few poor, slim-looking cows were pasturing. Large and fat hogs came
grunting at the door. The hot sun had deadened the wool on the backs
of a few sheep, and in its place, a fleece of straight, grey hair came
out as a substitute. When man forces the animal intended by God for a
cold climate into a hot one, a new nature comes to the poor, panting
creature's relief, and puts upon it a coat of cool hair, instead of the
hot woollen one.
The Spaniards have forced the hog so high up on the Andes that he
suffers every time he raises his bristles, and dies out of place; while
the Portuguese find it impossible to produce good mutton or wool on
the hot plains of the Amazon. Indians, in a warm climate, grease or
oil their naked skins as a protection from the sun, or that the rains
may slide off the more easy; while those we saw on the frozen mountain
tops, clothed themselves in wool, and greased their insides with mutton.
_They_ appear to understand perfectly why the earth was provided with
meat and clothing.
The inhabitants of Borba are principally negroes, who are very noisy,
both in-doors and out; one-half of them are slaves. Those of Portuguese
descent are extremely indolent. We observed few children of any color.
The women wear their hair put up behind with large tortoise-shell combs,
fancifully carved. Their dresses are very short-waisted, which gives
them a more awkward appearance than they really deserve. The men wear
trousers, and a shirt with the tail outside, which looks cool. Neither
sex walk out except to church, when they dress in deep black cloth and
silks, with gold ornaments and diamonds in profusion, brought from the
head-waters of the Tapajos—or to the river to bathe, when they leave
almost all wearing apparel at home.
The houses are of one-story and long; there are no doors hinged between
the rooms, only those opening to the street. Curtains are hung from the
upper part of the doorways to within a few inches of the brick floor.
One day a fresh breeze blew into the windows, and the draft through the
doors raised up all the curtains, when we discovered the family seated
on a rug, spread on the floor, sewing. The girls were pretty, with large
deep black eyes and hair; they quickly pulled their little bare feet
under their dresses, and laughed heartily at the sudden surprise. Their
hair was all down; hooks and eyes not fastened. The lady of the house
was very kind on her side of the curtain, handed Quinine and Port wine
on our side to the Capitan, who declared he could cure the fever in a
short time. He insisted upon my joining him every night at ten in a hot
supper; at the same hour in the morning at breakfast, and disapproved
of sleeping—which was all we wanted, except to get out of the country
as soon as possible. Our bread was made of Richmond flour, which is
said to keep better in this climate than more northern flour from the
United States. Whether this is owing to the mode of grinding the grain,
or a difference in the character of the wheat itself, is to be tested.
Turtle and chicken were the principal meats, with coffee and Portuguese
red wine. The tobacco, which is produced on the banks of the Madeira,
is said to be superior in quality to any in Brazil. It is made up in
rolls, seven feet long and three inches in diameter, carefully wrapped
up in a strip of rattan closely wound round it. Each staff contains two
pounds; bundles of them are exported, with cacao, Brazil nuts, coffee,
and sarsaparilla, to the Atlantic coast.
The trade of Borba is insignificant. According to Capitan Diogo's
account, there are not more than two thousand people, Indians and all,
inhabiting the banks of the Madeira, principally found near the stream;
the country in the interior being a wilderness, tangled, matted, and
in places swampy, where alligators bask in the sun on the beaten-down
grass, and tigers roam freely after tapir tracks. At the small farms,
near Borba, sugar-canes are raised and rum is manufactured—a greater
quantity of the latter article being consumed in Brazil, the trade in
it seems to be the most extensive of _all_ others. A few watermelons,
oranges, and limes are raised, but less than are required for home
consumption.
There were no men belonging to Borba to take us on. The authorities
ordered the soldiers who came with us to go on. I regretted this for two
reasons. One, that we were in hopes of getting rid of these impudent,
half-savage free negroes, who refused positively to obey the authorities
of the town. Another, that the commander of Beira wished me to send
them back as soon as possible after we arrived here, as it would take
them five months to regain their posts. But I found they were obliged
to go as far as Barra do rio Negro, to purchase a little iron, which,
with some guaraná, they had been ordered to carry to the fort, and to
our surprise, the men wanted to go with us in preference to remaining
in Borba, or returning to their usual duties. A larger boat was fitted
out. Pedro, our pilot, was paid off, as his services were needed as
boat-builder by the Capitan, who filled our basket with chickens,
and gave us a water-cooler. Two large cakes, with a jar of preserved
oranges, were sent to the boat by the wife of our friend Don Antonio,
whose little child came to thank us for bringing letters from the
father and husband. The kind old Capitan gave me particular instructions
about the fever, which he had partly cured, while he nearly killed the
patient. We pushed off with three Portuguese passengers.
The river was thirty feet above its present level, in the rainy season,
and has now thirty feet depth off Borba. A vessel may lay moored to
the bank of the river. There is stone at hand for building wharves if
needed. The northeast trade-winds blow fresh, and we find a difficulty
in making head-way; the current of the river has slackened to half
a mile per hour. The winds blow directly in opposition to it, which
baffles us considerably. In the evening, the wind falls away, and we
push off from the bank where the boat is fastened, to hold what we have
gained.
At some small huts we find Muras Indians sleeping, who seem very
indifferent about selling a few thick-skinned, insipid oranges.
Among the heavy night dews are intermingled an equal portion of hungry
musquitoes. The nights and mornings are beautifully clear.
[Illustration: CROSSING THE MOUTH OF THE MADEIRA RIVER, Brazil.
By Lieut. L. Gibbon U. S. N.
Lith. of P.S. Duval & Co. Phil.]
On the afternoon of the 29th of October, we crossed the river from
the east to the west bank, being forced to do so, as the wind created
a sea, and we lay uncomfortably moored to a snag; when half way over,
our little craft struggled and dipped in the water. Richards bailed out
manfully, while the men became frightened; we kept her bow angling the
sea till she reached in safety the opposite shore, where the negroes,
hearts returned to their places, but their eyes stretched wide open,
as they looked back at the troubled stream, saying they never saw water
behave so furious before.
During the 21st of October we lay all day by a sand island, unable
to proceed until evening. When the wind died away, we paddled on by
the light of the moon. As the negroes lifted their paddles out of the
water, we dipped the thermometer in the Madeira for the last time, 88°
Fahrenheit. Suddenly, the bow of our little canoe touched the deep
waters of the mighty Amazon. A beautiful, apple-shaded island, with
deep green foliage, and sandy beach encircling it, lies in the mouth of
the great serpentine Madeira. The mouth opens by two channels. We find
seventy-eight feet depth, near the western side, which is six hundred
yards wide, with high banks, well wooded, but no marks or traces of
civilization. A long sand-spit hung out over the lower mouth, like a
great tongue, on which lay turtles and bird's eggs. The east side of the
mouth was about three-quarters of a mile wide. A few houses stood on the
back ground, where the country was more elevated towards the southeast.
Now that we are at the mouth of this magnificent stream, we find no
deeply loaded vessels enter it. The value of the present foreign trade
of South Peru and Bolivia may be worth ten millions of dollars per
annum.
The distance from the foot of San Antonio falls to the mouth of the
Madeira, is five hundred miles by the river. A vessel drawing six feet
water may navigate this distance at any season of the year. A cargo from
the United States could reach the foot of the falls, on the Madeira,
within thirty days. By a common mule road, through the territory of
Brazil, the goods might be passed from the lower to the upper falls on
the Mamoré, in less than seven days, a distance of about one hundred
and eighty miles; thence by steamboat, on that river and the Chaparé,
a distance of five hundred miles to Vinchuta, in four days. Ten days
more from the base of the Andes, over the road we travelled, would make
fifty-one days passage from Baltimore to Cochabamba, or fifty-nine days
to La Paz, the commercial emporium of Bolivia, where cargoes arrive
generally from Baltimore in one hundred and eighteen days, by Cape
Horn—often delayed on their way through the territory of Peru from the
seaport of Arica. Goods by the Madeira route, sent over the Cordillera
range to the Pacific coast, might get there one month before a ship
could arrive from Europe on the eastern coast of the United States, by
two oceans or the old route.
APPENDIX.
OBSERVATIONS WITH SEXTANT AND ARTIFICIAL HORIZON.
-------------+-------+---------------+----------+---------+--------+------+-----------
Locality. | Date. | Star. | Meridian | Sun's |Magnetic|Index | Remarks.
| | | altitude.|altitude.|azimuth.|error.|
-------------+-------+---------------+----------+---------+--------+------+-----------
SOUTH PERU. | | | | | | |
| 1851 | | ° ´ ´´| ° ´ ´´| ° ´ | ° ´ |
Juaja |July 10|Alpha Centauri | -83 07 40| | | |Hazy over
| | | | | | |the
| | | | | | |northern
| | | | | | |mountains.
| | | | | | |
Huancayo | 13|Alpha Centauri | -83 44 20| | | |Northern
| | | | | | |sky cloudy.
| | | | | | |
Huancavelica | 18|Alpha Centauri | -85 07 40| | | +1 30|Misty over
| | | | | | |the
| | | | | | |northern
| | | | | | |Cordilleras.
| | | | | | |
Ayacucho | 30|Alpha Lyrae | +76 25 10| | | -1 00|
| | | | | | |
Do. | 31|Alpha Trianguli| -68 52 40| | | -1 00|
| | | | | | |
Do. | 31|Alpha Lyrae | +76 27 00| | | -1 00|
| | | | | | |
Camp | Aug. 6|Alpha Trianguli| -69 24 20| | | -1 00|
| | | | | | |
Do. | 6|Alpha Lyrae | +75 53 20| | | -1 00|
| | | | | | |
Andahuailas | 11|Alpha Lyrae | +75 26 10| | | -0 45|Missed a
| | | | | | |southern
| | | | | | |star.
| | | | | | |
Do. | 12| | | 76 24 10| 41 40 | -0 45|
| | | | | | |
Do. | 12| | | 78 19 20| 40 10 | -0 45|
| | | | | | |
Do. | 12| | | 79 31 50| 39 50 | -0 45|
| | | | | | |
Do. | 12| | | 80 21 30| 39 20 | -0 45|
| | | | | | |
Abancay | 15|Alpha Lyrae | +75 30 00| | | -0 45|
| | | | | | |
Do. | 15|Alpha Pavonis | -92 54 20| | | -0 45|
| | | | | | |
Cuzco | 27| | | 37 35 10| 273 50 | -0 25|
| | | | | | |
Do. | 27| | | 31 32 30| 273 45 | -0 25|
| | | | | | |
Do. | 27| | | 30 40 50| 273 30 | -0 25|
| | | | | | |
Do. |Sept. 4|Alpha Lyrae | +75 43 20| | | -0 25|
| | | | | | |
Do. | 4|Alpha Pavonis | -92 39 50| | | -0 25|
| | | | | | |
BOLIVIA. | | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
Cochabamba |Dec. 22|Alpha Aurigae | +53 35 30| | | |Señor
| | | | | | |Bridoux's
| | | | | | |pateo.
| | | | | | |
Do. | 22|Alpha Aurigae |-109 36 00| | | |Do.
| | | | | | |
| 1852 | | | | | |
Trinidad de | June 2|Gamma Crucis | -97 09 40| | | |
Mojos | | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
Do. | 2|Zeta Ursae | +39 02 10| | | |
| | Majoris | | | | |
| | | | | | |
Do. | 2| | | 41 32 20| 48 30 | |
| | | | | | |
Do. | 3| | | 45 35 40| 47 00 | |
| | | | | | |
Do. | 3| | | 46 44 00| 46 45 | |
| | | | | | |
Do. | 3| | | 48 14 10| 46 15 | |
| | | | | | |
Exaltacion |Aug. 24|Alpha Lyrae | +76 05 30| | | |On the bank
| | | | | | |of the river
| | | | | | |Mamoré,
| | | | | | |near the
| | | | | | |sugar-mill.
| | | | | | |
Do. | 25| | | 47 35 10| 277 45 | |
| | | | | | |
Do. | 25| | | 46 21 10| 277 15 | |
| | | | | | |
Do. | 25| | | 45 04 10| 277 00 | |
| | | | | | |
Do. | 29|Alpha Lyrae | +76 07 10| | | |
| | | | | | |
BRAZIL. | | | | | | |
| Sept. | | | | | |
Forté do | 11|Alpha Lyrae | +77 55 40| | | |
Principe | | | | | | |
da Beira | | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
Do. do. | 12|Alpha Lyrae | +77 52 40| 65 21 00| 68 00 | |
| | | | | | |
Do. do. | 12| | | 67 20 10| 67 45 | |
| | | | | | |
Do. do. | 12| | | 68 27 50| 67 15 | |
| | | | | | |
Do. do. | 12| | | 69 16 50| 67 10 | |
| | | | | | |
Do. do. | 13|Alpha Lyrae | +77 50 30| | | |
| | | | | | |
Near the | 16|Alpha Lyrae | +78 45 20| | | |
mouth of | | | | | | |
Itenez | | | | | | |
river | | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
Ribeirao | 23|Alpha Pavonis | -86 01 30| | | | Missed the
falls, | | | | | | | Northern
Madeira | | | | | | | star.
river | | | | | | |
-------------+-------+---------------+----------+---------+--------+------+-----------
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS.