Our Craft on the Napo. 209 



idea of spending fifteen da3^s cooped, cribbed, and cramped 

 in a narrow canoe, exposed to a tropical sun and furious 

 rains, was intolerable. 



Our Santa Eosa canoes were about thirty feet long. 

 These were placed about five feet apart and parallel, and 

 then firmly secured by bamboo joists. Over these we 

 spread a flooring of split bamboo, and planted four stout 

 chonta sticks to support a palm-thatched roof. A rudder 

 (a novel idea to our red-skinned companions), and a box of 

 sand in the stern of one of the boats for a fire-place, com- 

 pleted our rig. The alcalde, w^ith a hiccough, declared we 

 would be forever going down the river in such a huge 

 craft, and the Indians smiled ominously. But when our 

 gallant ship left Coca obediently to the helm, and at the 

 rate of six miles an hour when j^addles and current worked 

 together, they shouted " hue7io r Our trunks and provis- 

 ion-cans were arranged along the two sides of the j)lat- 

 form, so that we had abundance of from for exercise by 

 day and for sleeping under musquito-tents at night. A 

 little canoe, which we bought of the alcalde, floated along- 

 side for a tender, and was very serviceable in hunting, 

 gathering fuel, etc. In the " forecastle" — the bows of the 

 large canoes which projected beyond our cabin — sat three 

 Indians to paddle. The fourth, wdio was the governor of 

 Santa Rosa, we honored with the post of steersman ; and 

 he was always to be seen on the poop behind the kitchen, 

 standing bolt upright, on the alert and on the lookout. On 

 approaching any human habitation, the Indians blew horns 

 to indicate that they came as friends. These horns must 

 have come from Brazil, as there are no bovines on the 

 Xapo. Whenever they enter an unknown lagune they 

 blow their horns also to charm the yacu-mama, or mother- 

 of -waters, as they call the imaginary serpent. 



At different points down the river they deposited pots 



O 



