78 VOYAGE UP THE TAPAJOS. Chap. II. 



a large black rosary round his neck, promised me two 

 Indians to complete my crew, if I would wait a few 

 days until they had finished felling trees for a new 

 plantation. Meantime my men had to make a new 

 sail and repair the rigging, and I explored the rich 

 woods of the vicinity. 



Captain Thomas sent his son one day to show me the 

 best paths. A few steps behind the houses we found 

 ourselves in the virgin forest. The soil was sandy, and 

 the broad path sloped gently up towards the high ridge 

 which forms so beautiful a back -ground to the village. 

 From the top of the hill a glimpse of the bay is ob- 

 tained through the crowns of the trees. The road then 

 descends, and so continues for many miles over hill 

 and dale. There are no habitations, however, in this 

 direction ; the road having been made by people for- 

 merly employed in felling timber. The forest at Altai- 

 do Chao is noted for its riches in choice woods, and 

 its large laurel and Itauba trees, which are used in 

 building river schooners. The beautiful tortoise-shell 

 wood, Moira pinima, minutely barred and spotted 

 with red and black, which is made into walking- 

 sticks by Brazilian carpenters, and exported as such 

 in some numbers to Portugal, was formerly abundant 

 here ; it is the heart-wood of a tree I believe unknown 

 to science, and is obtainable only in logs a few inches 

 in diameter. The Moira coatiara (striped wood), a 

 most beautiful material for cabinet work, being close- 

 grained and richly streaked with chocolate-brown on a 

 yellow ground, is another of these, and is also the 

 heart-wood of a tree, but obtainable in logs a foot or 



