Chap. II. FISHERWOMEN. 107 



had made with her own hands of parrots' feathers. 

 The rods used are slender bamboos, and the lines made 

 from the fibres of pine-apple leaves. It is not very 

 common for the Indian and half-caste women to pro- 

 vide for themselves in the way these spirited dames 

 were doing, although they are all expert paddlers, and 

 very frequently cross wide rivers in their frail boats 

 without the aid of men. It is possible that parties of 

 Indian women, seen travelling alone in this manner, 

 may have given rise to the fable of a nation of Amazons 

 invented by the first Spanish explorers of the country. 

 Senhora Joaquina invited me and Jose to a Tucunare 

 dinner for the afternoon, and then shouldering their 

 paddles and tucking up their skirts, the two dusky 

 fisherwomen marched down to their canoe. We sent 

 the two Indians into the woods to cut palm-leaves to 

 mend the thatch of our cuberta, whilst I and Jose 

 rambled through the woods which skirted the campo. 

 On our return, we found a most bountiful spread in the 

 house of our hostess. A spotless white cloth was laid 

 on the mat, with a plate for each guest and a pile of 

 fragrant newly-made farinha by the side of it. The 

 boiled Tucunares were soon taken from the kettles and 

 set before us. I thought the men must be happy hus- 

 bands who owned such wives as these. The Indian 

 and mameluco women certainly do make excellent 

 managers ; they are more industrious than the men and 

 most of them manufacture farinha for sale on their own 

 account, their credit always standing higher with the 

 traders on the<river than that of their male connections. 

 I was quite surprised at the quantity of fish they had 



