226 VOYAGE UP THE TAPAJOS. Cuap IX. 
to accompany me only as far as Aveyros; I was then dependent on 
Captain Antonio for fresh hands. The captains of Trabalhadores are 
appointed by the Brazilian Government, to embody the scattered 
Indian labourers and canoe-men of their respective districts, to the end 
that they may supply passing travellers with men when required. A 
semi-military organisation is given to the bodies; some of the steadiest 
amongst the Indians themselves being nominated as sergeants, and all 
the members mustered at the principal village of their district twice a 
year. ‘The captains, however, universally abuse their authority, mono- 
polising the service of the men for their own purposes, so that it is only 
by favour that the loan of a canoe-hand can be wrung from them. I . 
was treated by Captain Antonio with great consideration, and promised 
two good Indians when I should be ready to continue my voyage. 
Little happened worth narrating, during my forty days’ stay at 
Aveyros. ‘The time was spent in the quiet, regular pursuit of Natural 
History : every morning I had my long ramble in the forest, which 
extended to the back doors of the houses, and the afternoons were 
occupied in preserving and studying the objects collected. The priest 
was a lively old man, but rather a bore from being able to talk of 
scarcely anything except homceopathy, having been smitten with the 
mania during a recent visit to Santarem. He had a Portuguese 
Homeopathic Dictionary, and a little leather case containing glass 
tubes filled with globules, with which he was doctoring the whole 
village. A bitter enmity seemed to exist between the female members 
of the priest’s family and those of the captain’s—the only white women 
in the settlement. It was amusing to notice how they flaunted past 
each other, when going to church on Sundays, in their starched muslin 
dresses. I found an intelligent young man living here, a native of the 
province of Goyaz, who was exploring the neighbourhood for gold and 
diamonds. He had made one journey up a branch river, and declared 
to me that he had found one diamond, but was unable to continue his 
researches, because the Indians who accompanied him refused to 
remain any longer: he was now waiting for Captain Antonio to assist 
him with fresh men, having offered him in return a share in the results 
of the enterprise. There appeared to be no doubt that gold is 
occasionally found within two or three days’ journey of Aveyros ; but all 
lengthened search is made impossible by the scarcity of food and the 
impatience of the Indians, who see no value in the precious metal, and 
abhor the tediousness of the gold-searcher’s occupation. Itis impossible 
to do without them, as they are required to paddle the canoes. 
The weather, during the month of July, was uninterruptedly fine ; not 
a drop of rain fell, and the river sank rapidly. The mornings, for two 
hours after sunrise, were very cold; we were glad to wrap ourselves in 
blankets on turning out of our hammocks, and walk about at a quick 
pace in the early sunshine. But in the afternoon the heat was sicken- 
ing ; for the glowing sun then shone full on the front of the row of 
whitewashed houses, and there was seldom any wind to moderate its 
effects. I began now to understand why the branch rivers of the 
Amazons were so unhealthy, whilst the main stream was pretty nearly 
free from diseases arising from malaria. The cause lies, without doubt, 
