S6 VOYAGE UP THE TAPAJOS. Chap. II.- 



daytime as a long thin line of forest, with dim gray 

 hills in the back ground. 



June 18th and 19th. — Senhor Jeronymo promised to 

 sell me a montaria, so I waited for three hours after 

 sunrise the next morning, expecting it to be forth- 

 coming, but in vain. I sent Pinto and afterwards 

 Jose to enquire about it, but they, instead of perform- 

 ing the errand, joined the easy-natured master of the 

 house in a morning carousal. I was obliged, when my 

 patience was exhausted, to go after them, having to 

 clamber down a projecting bough, in the absence of a 

 boat, to get ashore ; and then found my two men, their 

 host, and two or three neighbours, lolling in hammocks, 

 tinkling wire guitars, and drinking cashaca. I mention 

 this as a sample of a very common class of incidents in 

 Brazilian travelling. Master Jeronymo backed out of 

 his promise regarding the montaria. Jose and Pinto, 

 who seemed to think they had done nothing wrong, 

 sulkily obeyed my order to go on board, and we again 

 got under way. The wind failed us on the 18th to- 

 wards three p.m. About six miles above Aramana-i we 

 rounded a rocky point, called Acaratingari, the distance 

 travelled being altogether not more than twelve miles. 

 The greater part of the day was thus lost : we passed 

 the night in a snug little harbour sheltered by trees. 



To-day (19 th) we had a good wind, which carried us 

 to the mouth of a creek, called Paquiatuba, where the 

 " inspector " of the district lived, Senhor Cypriano, for 

 whom I had brought an order from Captain Thomas to 

 supply me with another hand. We had great difficulty 

 in finding a place to land. The coast in this part 



