CHAPTEH IV. 



THE TOCANTINS AND CAMETA. 



Preparations for the journey — The bay of Goajara — Grove of fan-leaved 

 palms — The lower Tocantins — Sketch of the river — Vista alegre — 

 Baiao — Eapids — Boat journey to. the Guariba falls — Native life on 

 the Tocantins^Second journey to Cameta. 



August 26th, 1848. — ^Mr. Wallace and I started to- 

 day on the excursion which I have already mentioned 

 as having been planned with Mr. Leavens, up the river 

 Tocantins, whose mouth lies about forty-five miles in 

 a straight line, but eighty miles following the bends 

 of the river channels, to the south-west of Para. This 

 river, as before stated, has a course of 1600 miles, and 

 stands third in rank amongst the streams which form 

 the Amazons system. The preparations for the jom-ney 

 took a great deal of time and trouble. We had first to 

 hire a proper vessel, a two-masted vigilinga twenty- 

 seven feet long, with a flat prow and great breadth of 

 beam and fitted to live in heavy seas ; for, although our 

 voyage was only a river trip, there were vast sea-like 

 expanses of water to traverse. It was not decked over, 

 but had two arched awnings formed of strong wicker- 

 work, and thatched with palm leaves. We had then 

 to store it with provisions for three months, the time 



