140 TRAVELS ON THE RIO NEGRO. {October, 



several rare species of which were abundant on the hot rocks 

 by the river's side. At length all was right, and we proceeded 

 on our way in two heavily-laden canoes, and rather cramped 

 for room compared to what we had been before. We had 

 several little rapids to pass, round projecting points of rock, 

 where the Indians had to jump into the water and push the 

 canoe past the difficulty. In two days more we reached the 

 village of Sao Pedro, where Senhor L. borrowed another canoe, 

 much better and more convenient, so that we had again half 

 a day's delay. The owner was a young Brazilian trader, a very 

 hospitable and civil fellow, with whom we spent a pleasant 

 evening. He and Senhor L. were old cronies, and began 

 talking in a language I could not understand, though I knew 

 it was some kind of Portuguese. I soon, however, found out 

 what it was, and Senhor L. afterwards told me that he had 

 learnt it when a boy at school. It consisted in adding to 

 every syllable another, rhyming with it, but beginning with 

 p ; thus to say, " Venha ca " (come here), he would say, 

 " Venpenhapa capa," or if in English " Comepum herepere;" 

 and this, when spoken rapidly, is quite unintelligible to a 

 person not used to it. This Senhor was a bit of a musician, 

 and amused us with some simple tunes on the guitar, almost 

 the only instrument used in this part of the country. 



Leaving this place, we passed the mouth of the small river 

 Curicuriari, from which we had a fine view of the Serras of the 

 same name. These are the finest mountains I had yet seen, 

 being irregular conical masses of granite about three thousand 

 feet high. They are much jagged and peaked, clothed with 

 forest in all the sloping parts, but with numerous bare pre- 

 cipices, on which shine huge white veins and masses of quartz, 

 putting me in mind of what must be the appearance of the 

 snow-capped Andes. Lower down, near St. Isabel, we had 

 passed several conical peaks, but none more than a thousand 

 feet high : these all rise abruptly from a perfectly level plain, 

 and are not part of any connected range of hills. 



On the same day, the 19th of October, we reached the 

 celebrated Falls of the Rio Negro. Small rocky islands and 

 masses of bare rock now began to fill the river in every part. 

 The stream flowed rapidly round projecting points, and the 

 main channel was full of foam and eddies. We soon arrived 

 at the commencement of the actual rapids. Beds and ledges 



