384 EXCURSIONS BEYOND EGA. Cuap. XIII 
The original territory of the Tuctina tribe embraced the banks of 
most of the by-streams, from 40 miles below St. Paulo to beyond 
Loreto in Peru, a distance of about 200 miles; the tribe, however, 
is not well-demarcated from that of the Collinas, who appear to be a 
section of Tuctinas, and whose home extends 200 miles farther to the 
east. 
The only other tribe of this neighbourhood concerning which I 
obtained any information were the Majerénas, whose territory embraces 
several hundred miles of the western bank of the river Jauari, an 
affluent of the Solimoens, 120 miles beyond St. Paulo. These are a 
fierce, indomitable, and hostile people, like the Ardras of the river 
Madeira ; they are also cannibals. The navigation of the Jauari is 
rendered impossible on account of the Majerdnas lying in wait on its 
banks to intercept and murder all travellers, especially whites. 
Four months before my arrival at St. Paulo, two young half-castes 
(nearly white) of the village went to trade on the Jauarf ; the Majerdénas 
having shown signs of abating their hostility for a year or two pre- 
viously. ‘They had not been long gone, when their canoe returned 
with the news that the two young fellows had been shot with arrows, 
roasted, and eaten by the savages. José Patricio, with his usual activity 
in the cause of law and order, despatched a party of armed men of the 
National Guard to the place to make inquiries, and, if the murder 
should appear to be unprovoked, to retaliate. When they reached the 
settlement of the horde who had eaten the two men, it was found 
evacuated, with the exception of one girl, who had been in the woods 
when the rest of her people had taken flight, and whom the guards 
brought with them to St. Paulo. It was gathered from her, and from 
other Indians on the Jauari, that the young men had brought their fate 
on themselves through improper conduct towards the Majeréna women. 
The girl, on arriving at St. Paulo, was taken care of by Senhor José 
Patricio, baptised under the name of Maria, and taught Portuguese. I 
saw a good deal of her, for my friend sent her daily to my house to fill 
the water jars, make the fire, and so forth. I also gained her goodwill 
by extracting the grub of an (Estrus fly * from her back, and thus 
cured her of a painful tumour. She was decidedly the best-humoured 
and, to all appearance, the kindest-hearted specimen of her race I had 
yet seen. She was tall and very stout ; in colour much lighter than the 
ordinary Indian tint, and her ways altogether were more like those of a 
careless, laughing country wench, such as might be met with any day 
* A species of CEstrus or gadfly, on the Upper Amazons, fixes on the flesh of man 
as breeding place for its grub. I extracted five at different times from my own flesh. 
The first was fixed inthe calf of my leg, causing there a suppurating tumour, which, 
being unaware of the existence of this (Estrus, I thought at first was a common boil. 
The tumour grew and the pain increased until I became quite lame, and then, on 
carefully examining the supposed boil, I saw the head of a grub moving in a small 
hole at its apex. The extraction of the animal was a difficult operation, it being an 
inch in length and of increasing breadth from head to tail, besides being secured to 
the flesh of the inside of the tumour by two horny hooks. An old Indian of Ega 
showed me the most effective way of proceeding, which was to stupefy the grub with 
strong tobacco juice, causing it to relax its grip in the interior, and then pull it out of 
the narrow orifice of the tumour by main force. 
