266 UPPER AMAZONS—VOYAGE TO EGA. Cuap. X. 
of the inner water, distant twelve hours’ journey by boat from the 
entrance. We anchored within the mouth, and visited in the montaria 
two or three settlers, whose houses are built in picturesque situations 
on the banks of the lower lake not far inwards. Several small but 
navigable streams or inlets here fall into the Quary ; the land appeared 
to be of the highest fertility ; we crossed a neck of land on foot, from 
one inlet to another, passing through extensive groves of coffee, planted 
in a loose manner amongst the forest trees. One of the settlers was a 
Gibraltar Jew, established here many years, and thoroughly reconciled 
to the ways of life of the semi-civilised inhabitants. We found him 
barefoot, with trousers turned up to the knee, busily employed with a 
number of Indians—men, women, and children—shelling and drying 
cacao, which grows wild in immense profusion in the neighbourhood. 
He seemed a lively and sensible fellow; was a great admirer of the 
country, the climate, and the people, and had no desire to return to 
Europe. This was the only Jew I met with on the upper river; there 
are several settled at Santarem, Cametd, and Parad, where, on account of 
their dealings being fairer than those of Portuguese traders, they do 
a good trade, and live on friendly terms with the Brazilians. 
Our object here was to purchase a supply of fresh farinha and 
anything else we could find in the way of provisions, as our farinha had 
become rotten and unfit to eat, and we had been on short rations for 
several days. We got all we wanted except sugar ; not a pound of this 
article ‘of luxury was to be had, and we were obliged henceforward 
to sweeten our coffee with treacle, as is the general custom in this part 
of Brazil. 
We left Quary before sunrise on the 2oth. On the 22nd we threaded 
the Parand-mirim of Araudna-i, one of the numerous narrow by-waters 
which lie conveniently for canoes away from the main river, and often 
save a considerable circuit round a promontory or island. We rowed 
for half a mile through a magnificent bed of Victoria water-lilies, the 
flower-buds of which were just beginning to expand. Beyond the 
mouth of the Catua, a channel leading to another great lake which we 
passed on the 25th, the river appeared greatly increased in breadth. 
We travelled for three days along a broad reach which both up and down 
river presented a blank horizon of water and sky ; this clear view was 
owing to the absence of islands, but it renewed one’s impressions of 
the magnitude of the stream, which here, 1200 miles from its mouth, 
showed so little diminution of width. Further westward a series of large 
islands commences, which divides the river into two and sometimes 
three channels, each about a mile in breadth. We kept to the 
southernmost of these, travelling all day on the 30th April along a high 
and rather sloping bank. 
In the evening we arrived at a narrow opening, which would be taken, 
by a stranger navigating the main channei, for the outlet of some in- 
significant stream: it was the mouth of the Teffé, on whose banks Ega 
is situated, the termination of our voyage. After having struggled for 
thirty-five days with the muddy currents and insect pests of the Solimoens, 
it was unspeakably refreshing to find one’s-self again in a dark-water 
river, smooth as a lake, and free from Pium and Motica. The rounded 
