DOWN AN UNKNOWN RIVER 283 



the bank there were the tracks of capybaras which had 

 been eating the fallen fruit. This fruit is delicious and 

 would make a valuable addition to our orchards. The 

 tree although tropical is hardy, thrives when domesticated, 

 and propagates rapidly from shoots. The Department of 

 Agriculture should try whether it would not grow in south- 

 ern California and Florida. This was the tree from which the 

 doctor's family name was taken. His paternal grandfather, 

 although of Portuguese blood, was an intensely patriotic 

 Brazilian. He was a very young man when the indepen- 

 dence of Brazil was declared, and did not wish to keep the 

 Portuguese family name; so he changed it to that of the 

 fine Brazilian tree in question. Such change of family 

 names is common in Brazil. Doctor Vital Brazil, the stu- 

 dent of poisonous serpents, was given his name by his father, 

 whose own family name was entirely different; and his 

 brother's name was again different. 



There were tremendous downpours of rain, lasting for 

 a couple of hours and accompanied by thunder and light- 

 ning. But on the whole it seemed as if the rains were less 

 heavy and continuous than they had been. We all of us 

 had to help in building the canoes now and then. Ker- 

 mit, accompanied by Antonio the Parcels and Joao, crossed 

 the river and walked back to the little river that had en- 

 tered from the east, so as to bring back a report of it to 

 Colonel Rondon. Lyra took observations, by the sun and 

 by the stars. We were in about latitude 11 21' south, 

 and due north of where we had started. The river had 

 wound so that we had gone two miles for every one we 

 made northward. Our progress had been very slow; and 

 until we got out of the region of incessant rapids, with their 



