CLIMATE. 177 



frequent both by night and day. The climate of the Up- 

 per Rio Negro is somewhat peculiar. The tropical sum- 

 mer, or dry season, is almost unknown, and lains are nearly 

 constant throughout the year. Especially is this true in 

 the districts of the rapids, Avhcre the inhabitants enjoy but 

 little of that delightful weather which for several months 

 blesses the valleys of the Orinoco and Amazons. Five or 

 six weeks of freedom from storms during the months of 

 January and February, and a few weeks about June, are 

 the only breaks in the almost constant floods of rain. The 

 waters of the Rio ISTegro reach their highest level about 

 the end of June. At the cataracts of the river the water 

 rises some twenty feet above its lowest ebb, while at San 

 Gabriel, after having received several tributaries, it is 

 twenty-five or more, and at Barra the average height is 

 over forty feet. About March, when the Amazons is filled 

 with the floods of its southern tributaries, and while the 

 northern aflHuents are lowest, the waters of the former 

 block up the mouth of the Rio Negro, causing a stagnation 

 and even retrograde movement of its waters. 



On the morning of the 17th, at four o'clock, much 

 later than usual, we aroused our Indians. Several little 

 villages were passed during the day, and at 4 p. m. we 

 were at Guia, a small Indian settlement, with one Portu 

 guese family, that were bribed by a milreis (fifty cents) to 

 ])art with a chicken, all the village could oft'er us. During 

 the afternoon we crossed the equatorial lino, and floated 

 upon the waters of the southern hemisphere. Had cir- 

 cumstances permitted, we would have celebrated the event 

 by a sumptuous feast ; as it was, we ate from a rock our 

 scanty meal of turtle and mailoca. The river being free 

 from obstructions, we allowed the boat to drift with the 

 current during the night; our Indians sleeping upon their 

 benches. Before morning we passed the Uaupes, a tribu- 

 tary of the Rio Negro, a river which has been made known 



