WILD HUNTING COMPANIONS 159 



voyage of exploration down the Rio da Duvida 

 to the Amazon. It was a simple, primitive ex- 

 istence. All the industry was connected with 

 the cattle or with cultivating the tropical vege- 

 tables and fruits of the garden. Two-wheeled 

 ox-carts, each wheel taller than a man, carried 

 hides and smoked flesh to the river landing 

 where native boats, or now and then light- 

 draft steamers, were moored. After sunset the 

 life went on outdoors, unless it rained, until 

 bedtime. As it grew dusk the doorways and 

 the unglazed windows, standing open, showed 

 only empty darkness within. The cooking was 

 done in pots, at small fires outside. Now and 

 then some one played a guitar or banjo; or sang 

 strange songs, light-hearted songs of dances, 

 melancholy songs of love or of death, songs 

 about the feats of men and of bulls, and of 

 famous horses; but always with something 

 queer and barbaric as if they came from a time 

 and a life immeasurably remote. Always the 

 darkness shrouded from us the hot, furtive Hfe 

 we knew it held. 



These poor country folk were on the whole 

 a kindly, courteous race; it was pleasant to 

 have them known as "camaradas" by the men 

 of the upper class. They represented every 

 shade of mixture among the three strains of 



