ACROSS NHAMBIQUARA LAND 207 



were too numerous for comfort, and now and then I had to 

 do my writing in a head-net and gauntlets. 



The night we reached the Burity it rained heavily, and 

 next day the rain continued. In the morning the mules 

 were ferried over, while the oxen were swum across. Half 

 a dozen of our men — whites, Indians, and negroes, all 

 stark naked and uttering wild cries — drove the oxen into 

 the river and then, with powerful overhand strokes, swam 

 behind and alongside them as they crossed, half-breasting 

 the swift current. It was a fine sight to see the big, long- 

 horned, staring beasts swimming strongly, while the sin- 

 ewy naked men urged them forward, utterly at ease in the 

 rushing water. We made only a short day's journey, for, 

 owing to the lack of grass, the mules had to be driven off 

 nearly three miles from our line of march, in order to get 

 them feed. We camped at the headwaters of a little brook 

 called Huatsui, which is Parecis for "monkey." 



Accompanying us on this march was a soldier bound 

 for one of the remoter posts. With him trudged his wife. 

 They made the whole journey on foot. There were two 

 children. One was so young that it had to be carried al- 

 ternately by the father and mother. The other, a small 

 boy of eight, and much the best of the party, was already 

 a competent wilderness worker. He bore his share of the 

 belongings on the march, and when camp was reached 

 sometimes himself put up the family shelter. They were 

 mainly of negro blood. Struck by the woman's uncom- 

 plaining endurance of fatigue, we offered to take her and 

 the baby in the automobile, while it accompanied us. But, 

 alas! this proved to be one of those melancholy cases where 

 the effort to relieve hardship well endured results only in 



