176 THE UPPER AMAZON'S. Chap. III. 



upper river ; there are several settled at Santarern, 

 Cameta, and Para, where, on account of their dealings 

 being fairer than those of Portuguese traders, they do 

 a good trade, and live on friendly terms with the 

 Brazilians. 



Our object here was to purchase a supply of fresh 

 farinha and anything else we could find in the way of 

 provisions, as our farinha had become rotten and unfit 

 to eat, and we had been on short rations for several 

 days. We got all we wanted except sugar ; not a pound 

 of this article of luxury was to be had, and we were 

 obliged henceforward to sweeten our coffee with treacle, 

 as is the general custom in this part of Brazil. 



We left Quary before sunrise on the 20th. On the 

 22nd we threaded the Parana-mirim of Arauana-i, one 

 of the numerous narrow by-waters which lie conve- 

 niently for canoes away from the main river, and often 

 save a considerable circuit round a promontory or island. 

 We rowed for half a mile through a magnificent bed of 

 Victoria water-lilies ; the flower-buds of which were just 

 beginning to expand. Beyond the mouth of the Catua, 

 a channel leading to another great lake which we passed 

 on the 25th, the river appeared greatly increased in 

 breadth. We travelled for three days along a broad 

 reach which both up and down river presented a blank 

 horizon of water and sky : this clear view was owing to 

 the absence of islands, but it renewed one's impressions 

 of the magnitude of the stream, which here, 1200 miles 

 from its mouth, showed so little diminution of width. 

 Further westward a series of large islands commences, 

 which divides the river into two and sometimes three 



