240 TRAVELS ON THE RIO NEGRO. [March, 



third of a mile wide, but the bends and turns are innumerable ; 

 and at every rapid it almost always spreads out into such deep 

 bays, and is divided into channels by so many rocks and 

 islands, as to make one sometimes think that the water is 

 suddenly flowing back in a direction contrary to that it had 

 previously been taking. Caruru caxoeira itself is greater than 

 any we had yet seen, — rushing amongst huge rocks down a 

 descent of perhaps fifteen or twenty feet. The only way of 

 passing this, was to pull the canoe over the dry rock, which 

 rose considerably above the level of the water, and was rather 

 rugged, being interrupted in places by breaks or steps two 

 or three feet high. The canoe was accordingly unloaded, 

 quantities of poles and branches cut and laid in the path to 

 prevent the bottom being much injured by the rocks, and a 

 messenger sent to the village on the other side of the river 

 to request the Tushaiia to come with plenty of men to our 

 assistance. He soon arrived with eleven Indians, and all 

 hands set to work pushing the canoe, or pulling at the sipos ; 

 and even then, the strength of five-and-twenty persons could 

 only move it by steps, and with great difficulty. However,- it 

 was at length passed, and we then proceeded to the village, 

 where the Tushaiia lent us a house. 



The canoe was so weak in the bottom in one place, that 

 I was fearful of some accident in my descent, so I determined 

 to stay here two or three days, to cut out the weak part and 

 put in a strong board. I now also saw that this canoe was 

 much too heavy to proceed further up the river, as at many 

 of the falls there was no assistance to be obtained, even in 

 places as difficult to pass as Caruru ; so I opened negotiations 

 to purchase a very large " oba " of the Tushaiia, which, before 

 leaving, I effected for an axe, a shirt and trousers, two cutlasses, 

 and some beads. We were delayed here five entire days, owing 

 to the difficulty of finding a tree of good wood sufficiently 

 large to give a board of twelve or fourteen inches wide ; and 

 at last I was obliged to be content with two narrow boards, 

 clumsily inserted, rather than be exposed to more delay. 



There was a large malocca here, and a considerable number 

 of houses. The front of the malocca was painted very taste- 

 fully in diamonds and circles, with red, yellow, white, and 

 black. On the rocks were a series of strange figures, of which 

 I took a sketch. The Indians were of the " Ananas " or Pine- 



