184 THROUGH THE BRAZILIAN WILDERNESS 



among and with the Indians, much as Mungo Park worked 

 with the natives of West Africa, having none of the aids, 

 instruments, and comforts with which even the hardiest 

 of modern explorers are provided. He was one of the men 

 who estabhshed the beginnings of the province of Matto 

 Grosso. For many years the sole method of communica- 

 tion between this remote interior province and civilization 

 was by the long, difficult, and perilous route which led up 

 the Amazon and Madeira; and its then capital, the town 

 of Matto Grosso, the seat of the captain-general, with its 

 palace, cathedral, and fortress, was accordingly placed far 

 to the west, near the Guapore. When less circuitous lines 

 of communication were established farther eastward the old 

 capital was abandoned, and the tropic wilderness surged 

 over the lonely little town. The tomb of the old colonial 

 explorer still stands in the ruined cathedral, where the 

 forest has once more come to its own. But civilization is 

 again advancing to reclaim the lost town and to revive 

 the memory of the wilderness wanderer who helped to 

 found it. Colonel Rondon has named a river after Franco; 

 a range of mountains has also been named after him; and 

 the colonel, acting for the Brazilian Government, has es- 

 tablished a telegraph station in what was once the palace 

 of the captain-general. 



Our northward trail led along the high ground a league 

 or two to the east of the northward-flowing Rio Sacre. 

 Each night we camped on one of the small tributary brooks 

 that fed it. Fiala, Kermit, and I occupied one tent. In 

 the daytime the "pium" flies, vicious little sand-flies, be- 

 came bad enough to make us finally use gloves and head- 

 nets. There were many heavy rains, which made the 



