462 NOTES OF A BOTANIST 



southward of it, above the Rio Negro, and some- 

 where between the rivers Coari and Teffe. In the 

 very year of Orellana's encounter with the Amazons 

 (1541), Cabeza de Vega headed an expedition which 

 ascended the Plata and the Paraguay in search of 

 gold. From the latter river he sent Hernando cle 

 Ribeiro ahead, in a brigantine, with fifty-two men, 

 to explore the lake of Xarayes, a large tract ol 

 country periodically inundated, lying to eastward of 

 what was afterwards the Province of Moxos. From 

 the Xarayes Indians Ribeiro received information 

 of the Amazons, whose country he was told lay two 

 months' journey to the northward ; and, disregard- 

 ing the warning of the chief of the Xarayes, that it 

 would be impracticable to traverse the forests at that 

 season of floods, he and his party proceeded on foot 

 for eight days, with the water up to their middle. 

 This brought them to another nation, the Siberis ; 

 and a journey thence of nine days (the first four 

 being still wading through the water) to the nation 

 of Urtueses, who told them there was yet a month's 

 journey to the Amazons, with much flooded ground 

 to traverse. From this point they were compelled 

 to regress by their provisions giving out ; and the 

 plantations of the Urtueses having been devastated 

 for two successive years by some insect, no more 

 food was to be had ; but those Indians reiterated 

 the assurance of the existence of a nation of women, 

 governed by a woman, and possessing plenty of 

 both white and yellow metal, their seats and utensils 

 being made of them. They lived on the western 

 (eastern ?) side of a large lake, which they called the 

 Mansion of the Sun, because the sun sank into it 

 (Southey's History of Brazil, pp. 156-159). 



