xv FROM MANAOS TO TARAPOTO 



O 



on every side, it .is one of the most picturesque 

 places I have seen. Its population is entirely of 

 Indians, though many show evident traces of white 

 blood, and they are among the tallest and hand- 

 somest I have met with especially the women. 

 Even the Governor is an Indian an old man, 

 formerly a soldier, in which profession he learnt his 

 Castilian. The pueblo numbers less than 300 

 married men, and about 1500 souls. All speak the 

 Inca language, and very few have a smattering of 

 Spanish. 



Our Indians from Tarapoto were paid to take us 

 up as far as Juan Guerra a small pueblo at the 

 junction of the Combasa and Mayo rivers above 

 the pongos of the Huallaga. We found it, how- 

 ever, impossible to persuade them to proceed 

 beyond Chasuta, the reason given for deserting 

 us being that the Indians of Chapaja, a pueblo in 

 the pongo, were awaiting their arrival to fall on 

 them unawares and kill them, as there had been a 

 quarrel between them a short time before and 

 serious wounds had been given on both sides. It 

 was plain, however, that they also wanted to escape 

 the labour, as there are three of the worst passes on 

 the Huallaga a little way above Chasuta, when- the 

 whole cargo has to be carried overland among lar^i- 

 blocks of rock for some hundred yards or more, 

 and we had found the Tarapotinos much disincline.! 

 to work hard. There being no authority at Chasuta 

 able to make them fulfil their contract, we had n> 

 alternative but to engage other Indians at Chasuta 

 for the rest of the voyage. \\'e had already pai-i 

 dollar apiece to our men, and we now had to -f\ 

 cutlass to each man of our new crews. 



