TARAPOTO TO CANELOS 105 



impeded by swollen rivers and steeping rains. 

 . . . Join to this a monotonous river whose flat 

 shores rarely rose 2 feet above water, almost desti- 

 tute of settled inhabitants (we once passed fifteen 

 days without meeting a soul), and you will have 

 some idea how heart-sickening such a journey must 

 have been. From embarking on the Huallaga till 

 entering the mouth of the Bombonasa (which is 

 now the frontier of Ecuador), we had the usual 

 accompaniment of mosquitoes by day and zan- 

 cudos by night. 



[A few details of this portion of the voyage will 

 now be given from the Journals and letters. At 

 La Laguna, near the mouth of the Maranon, the 

 travellers stayed three days in order to get fresh 

 men and make toldos (thatched cabins) in the stern 

 of the canoes. They also had to collect provisions 

 for the voyage up the Pastasa to Andoas at the 

 mouth of the Bombonasa river, the greater part of 

 the shores of those rivers being without inhabitants. 

 At La Laguna Spruce witnessed a curious example 

 of voluntary flagellation which he thus describes :- 



The Indians of La Laguna have a custom of scourging them- 

 selves in the Holy Week. We were setting out a fortnight before 

 Luster, so that there would he no opportunity of performing this 

 at the proper time, our Indians therefore determined on 

 going their "penitencia" on the Saturday evening, 

 purpose whips of a most barlurous description had 

 cylinders of pitch six inches long were stuck full of bits of 

 broken glass, pn>je< -ting ubout half an inch. About four in the 

 afternoon the penitents began to promenade the streets, giving 

 themselves smart blows on the n iked shoulders with thongs 

 thick skin of cow-fish, that the blood Mil-lit flow more fre< 

 application of scarifies, which was done by thcmsi 

 manner when all assembled in .1 house, 



they sallied forth to the church, \\ulking by tw 

 one mass of gore and their \\hite trousers (their only 

 soaked and dripping with blood. I h.i\e never 



