Cuap. IV. RETURN VOYAGE. 69 
whole scene is very impressive. As far as the eye could reach, stretched 
range after range of wooded hills, scores of miles of beautiful wilderness, 
inhabited only by scanty tribes of wild Indians. In the midst of such a 
solitude the roar of the cataract seemed fitting music. 
September 17th.—We commenced early in the morning our downward 
voyage. Arroyos is situated in about 4° io’ S. lat.; and lies, therefore, 
about 130 fniles from the mouth of the Tocantins. Fifteen miles above 
Guaribas another similar cataract, called Tabocas, lies across the river. 
We were told that there were in all fifteen of these obstructions to 
navigation between Arroyos and the mouth of the Araguaya. The worst 
was the Inferno, the Guaribas standing second to it in evil reputation. 
Many canoes and lives have been lost here, most of the accidents arising 
through the vessels being hurled against an enormous cubical mass of 
rock called the Guarbinha, which we, on our trip to the falls in the 
small canoe, passed round with the greatest ease about a quarter of a 
mile below the main falls. This, however, was the dry season ; in the 
time of full waters a tremendous current sets against it. We descended 
the river rapidly, and found it excellent fun shooting the rapids. The 
men seemed to delight in choosing the swiftest parts of the current ; 
they sang and yelled in the greatest excitement, working the paddles 
with great force, and throwing clouds of spray above us as we bounded 
downwards. We stopped to rest at the mouth of a rivulet named 
Caganxa. ‘The pilot told us that gold has been found in the bed of this 
brook ; so we had the curiosity to wade several hundred yards through 
the icy cold waters in search of it. Mr. Leavens seemed very much 
interested in the matter ; he picked up all the shining stones he could 
espy in the pebbly bottom, in hopes of finding diamonds also. There 
is, in fact, no reason why both gold and diamonds should not be found 
here, the hills being a continuation of those of the mining countries of 
interior Brazil, and the brooks flowing through the narrow valleys 
between them. 
On arriving at the place where we had left our canoe, we found poor 
José the mulatto much worse, so we hastened on to Juquerapud to 
procure aid. An old half-caste woman took charge of him ; she made 
poultices of the pulp of a wild fruit, administered cooling draughts made 
from herbs which grew near the house, and in fact acted the part of 
nurse admirably. We stayed at this place all night and part of the 
following day, and I had a stroll along a delightful pathway, which led 
over hill and dale, two or three miles through the forest. I was 
surprised at the number and variety of brilliantly-coloured butterflies ; 
they were all of small size, and started forth at every step I took, from 
the low bushes which bordered the road. I first heard here the notes 
of a trogon ; it was seated alone on a branch at no great elevation; a 
beautiful bird, with glossy-green back and rose-coloured breast (pro- 
bably Trogon melanurus). At intervals it uttered, in a complaining 
tone, a sound resembling the words ‘‘ qua, qua.” It is a dull, inactive 
bird, and not very ready to take flight when approached. In this 
respect, however, the trogons are not equal to the jacamars, whose 
stupidity in remaining at their posts, seated on low branches in the 
gloomiest shades of the forest, is somewhat remarkable in a country 
