THE NATURALIST ON THE RIVER AMAZONS. 



had bc..v,_e u. } prospect of being forced to the wuiei -k-vel with bag and bag fe 6 e, cross- 

 return, from sueer'waut of bands to manage in S broad reaches of river. Most of them 

 the canoe. Senhor Gomez, to whom we had have houses also on the terra firma, and re- 

 brought letters of introduction from Senhor s 'de in the cool palm-swamps of the ^gap6- 

 JoaO Augusto Correia, a Brazilian gentleman islands, as they are called, only in the hot anii 

 of high standing at Para, tried what he could dr y season. They live chiefly on fish, shell- 

 do to induce the canoe-men of his neighbor- ns h (among which were large Ampul larra?,. 

 hood to engage with us, but it was a vain en- whose flesh I found, on trial, to be a very 

 deavor. The people of these parts seemed to tough morsel), the never-failing farinha, and 

 be above working for wages. They are nat- the fruits of the forest. Among the latter the 

 urally indolent, and besides, have all some fruits of the palm-tree occupied the chief 

 little business or plantation of their own, place. The Assai is the most in use, but this, 

 which gives them a livelihood with indepen- *orms a universal article of diet in all parts of' 

 dence. It is difficult to obtain hands under the country. The fruit, which is perfectly 

 any circumstances, but it was particularly so round, and about the size of a cherry, con- 

 in our case, from being foreigners, and sus- tains but a small portion of pulp lying be- 

 pected, as was natural among ignorant people, tween the skin and the hard kernel. This is- 

 of being strange in our habits. At length made, with the addition of water, into a. 

 our host lent us two of his slaves to help us thick, violet-colored beverage, which stains 

 on another stage, namely, to the village of the lips like blackberries. The fruit of the 

 BaiaO, where we had great hopes of having Miriti is also a common article of food, al- 

 this, our urgent want, supplied by the mill- though the pulp is sour and unpalatable, at t 

 tary commandant of the district. least to European tastes. It is boiled, and ' 



September 2d. The distance from Vista then eaten with farinha. The Tucuma (As- 

 Alegre to BaiaO is about twenty-five miles, trocaryum tucuma), and the Mucuja (Aero- 

 We had but little wind, and our men were comia lasiospatha), grow only on the main- 

 therefore obliged to row the greater part of land. Their fruits yield a yellowish, fibrous* 

 the way. The oars used in such canoes as P U ^P. which the natives eat in the same way 

 ours are made by tying a stout paddle to the as the Miriti. They contain so much fatty 

 end of a long pole by means of woody lianas, matter that vultures and dogs devour them 

 The men take their stand on a raised deck, greedily. 



formed by a few rough planks placed over Early on the morning of September 3d we= 

 the arched covering in the fore part of the reached the right or eastern bank, which is- 

 vessel, and pull with their backs to the stern, here from forty to sixty feet high. The 

 We started at six A.M., and about sunset houses were more substantially built than 

 reached a point where the west channel of the those we had hitherto seen. We succeeded 

 river, along which we had been travelling in buying a small turtle ; most of the inhabi- 

 since we left Cameta, joined a broader mid- tants had a few of these animals, which they 

 die one, and formed with it a great expanse ke Pt in little inctosures made with stakes, 

 of water. The islands here seem to form The people were of the same class every, 

 two pretty regular lines, dividing the great ^here, mamelucos. They were very civil ~ 

 river into three channels. As we progressed we were not able.however, to purchase much, 

 slowly, we took the montaria and went fre sh food from them. I think this was; 

 ashore, from time to time, to the houses, owing to their really not having more than 

 which were numerous on the river banks as was absolutely required to satisfy their own 

 well as on the larger islands. In low situ- needs. In these districts, where the peoplo 

 ations they had a very unfinished appear- depend for animal food solely on fishing, 

 ance, being mere frameworks raised high on there is a period of the year when they suffer 

 wooden piles, and thatched with the leaves hunger, so that they are disposed to prize; 

 of the Ubussu palm. In their construction highly a small stock when they have it. They 

 another palm-tree is made much use of, viz., generally answered in the negative when we 

 the Assai (Euterpe olearcea). The outer part asked, money in hand, whether they had 

 of the stem of this species is hard and tough fowls, turtles, or eggs to sell, " NaO, ha, siuto* 

 as horn ; it is split into narrow planks, and Q ue na5 posso Ihe ser bom ;" or, " NaO ha, 

 these form a great portion of the walls and meu coracao. " " We have none ; I am sorry I 

 flooring. The residents told us that the west- cannot oblige you ;" or, " There is none, my 

 ern channel becomes nearly dry in the mid- heart." 



die of the fine season, but that at high water, September 3d to 7th. At half past eight 

 in April and May, the river rises to the level A - M - we arrived at BaiaO. which is built on av 

 of the house-floors. The river bottom is verv high Lank, and contains about 400 in- 

 every where sandy, and the country perfectly habitants. We hail to climb to the village- 

 healthy. The people seemed to be all con- U P a -adder, which is fixed agaiust the bank, 

 tented and happy, but idleness and poverty au ^ on arriving at the top, took possession of" 

 were exhibited by many unmistakable signs. a r m which Seuhor Seixas had given ordera. 

 As to the flooding of their island abodes, to be prepared for us. He himself was away 

 they did not seem to care about that at all. at his sitio, and would not be here till the* 

 They seem to be almrst amphibious, or as next day. Wo were now quite dependent 

 much at home on the water as on land. It on him for men to enable us to continue our* 

 was really alarming to see men and women voyage, and so hal ir> remedy but to wait, 

 and children, in little leaky canoes laden 10 his leisure. Tha situation of liiu place, and 



