ON THE AMAZON. 201 
trees, and the same two Willows we had seen all the way from Gurupa. 
Our Tapuyas called these willows Guayardna. A very little within 
the river, a small igarapé enters from the left, coming from the Lago 
Boiossi. Farther on, to the right, is another igarapé, terminating in 
the Lago Curumá : this igarapé enters the river at the same point as 
the furo leaves it. Beyond, there is a long reach of the river 
nearly west, and at most with only about half a point of northing. 
Shortly after entering it we passed an igarapé on the left, named Boca 
de Parú : its head is a lake, and it has several other lakes on both sides 
of its course. At some distance farther is the igarapé and lago 
Quiriquiry, where we arrived at 84 P. M., and brought-to for the night, 
glad of the opportunity to sling our hammocks in a cottage belonging 
to our pilot's brother, and thus eseape the carapanás on the river. 
For the last few hours we had experienced heavy rain without wind, 
and we found that our boat afforded us very inadequate protection from 
it. It had a raised tolda at the stern, in which we contrived to stow 
ourselves and our effects, but it was open at both ends, and, 
therefore, allowed the rain to beat in; while the provisions for the 
men were laid in the forepart of the boat, quite unprotected. 
It was, therefore, judged expedient to devote a day to the con- 
struction of four small moveable toldas, two for the protection of —— 
the existing tolda, and other two for securing the provisions from 
further damage. ; 
December 19.—This morning left the sitio of Quiriquiry, the con- — 
struction of the toldas having occupied our men the whole of the 
previous day. Elisardo, our pilot’s brother, is a carpenter, and a very 
ingenious fellow; he has three or four apprentices, and seems com- 
fortably off. He is fond of farming, too, and the banks of the lake 
afford him pasturage for a few young cattle. I was surprised to find T 2! 
him able to read and write—rare accomplishments for an Indian,—and - : 
that he had even a method of his own of writing music. His wife is a 
good-looking Tapuya, with very superior and almost dignified manners, 
but disfigured (in my eyes), like all the women here, by smoking ex- 
cessively. Elisardo took us across the lake in his montaria, and we 
spent the day in a valley traversed by a small feeder of the lake. In 
the lower part we found several things, but, higher up, the forest was 
too thick to produce many flowers. Near the lake I was rather 
startled at seeing what appeafed to be two snakes lying across the 
VOL. II. 2D : 
