196 CARIPI. Chap. Y. 



the broader channel of the Aitituba. This we crossed, 

 and entered another narrow creek on the opposite side. 

 Here the ebb tide was against ns, and we had great 

 difficulty in making progress. After we had struggled 

 against the powerful cun^ent a distance of two miles, 

 we came to a part where the ebb tide ran in the 

 opposite direction, showing that we had crossed the 

 water-shed. The tide flows into this channel or creek 

 at both ends simultaneously, and meets in the middle, 

 although there is apparently no difference of level, and 

 the breadth of the water is the same. The tides are 

 extremely intricate throughout all the infinite channels 

 and creeks which intersect the lands of the Amazons 

 delta. The moon now broke forth and lighted up 

 the trunks of colossal trees, the leaves of monstrous 

 Jupati i^alms which arched over the creek, and re- 

 vealed gi-oups of arborescent arums standing like rows 

 of spectres on its banks. We had a glimpse now and 

 then into the black depths of the forest, where all was 

 silent except the shrill stridulation of wood-crickets. 

 Now and then a sudden plunge in the water ahead 

 would startle us, caused by heavy fruit or some nocturnal 

 animal dropping from the trees. The two Indians here 

 rested on their paddles and allowed the canoe to drift 

 with the tide. A pleasant perfume came from the forest, 

 which Raimundo said proceeded from a cane-field. He 

 told me that all this land was owned by large proprietors 

 at Para, wlio had received grants from time to time from 

 the Government for political services. Raimundo was 

 quite in a talkative humour ; he related to me many 

 incidents of the time of the "Cabanagem," as the revo- 



