Chap. II. FIRE-ANTS. 89 



appeared that Senhor Cypriano was a large producer of 

 the article, selling 300 baskets (sixty pounds' weight 

 each) annually to Santarem traders. I was sorry we were 

 unable to see him, but it was useless waiting, as we were 

 told all the men were at present occupied in "puche- 

 rums," and he would be unable to give me the assistance 

 I required. We returned to the canoe in the evening, 

 and, after moving out into the river, anchored and slept. 



June 20th. — We had a light, baffling wind off shore 

 all day on the 20th, and made but fourteen or fifteen 

 miles by six p.m. ; when, the wind failing us, we anchored 

 at the mouth of a narrow channel, called Tapaiuna, 

 which runs between a large island and the mainland. 

 About three o'clock we passed in front of Boim, a village 

 on the opposite (western) coast. The breadth of the 

 river is here six or seven miles : a confused patch of 

 white on the high land opposite was all we saw of the 

 village, the separate houses being undistinguishable on 

 account of the distance. The coast along which we 

 sailed to-day is a continuation of the low and flooded 

 land of Paquiatuba. 



June 2\st — The next morning we sailed along the 

 Tapaiuna channel, which is from 400 to 600 yards in 

 breadth. We advanced but slowly, as the wind was 

 generally dead against us, and stopped frequently to 

 ramble ashore. Wherever the landing-place was sandy 

 it was impossible to walk about, on account of the 

 swarms of the terrible fire-ant, whose sting is likened 

 by the Brazilians to the puncture of a red-hot needle. 

 There was scarcely a square inch of ground free from 

 them. About three p.m. we glided into a quiet, shady 



