364 



SOUTH AMERICA— THE ANDES REGIONS. 



successive contributions of the torrents from all tlie surrounding upland valleys. 

 Yet despite its great size, geographers were ignorant till the middle of the nine- 

 teenth century of the true course of the Mad re de Dios, which also bears the local 

 names of Mana, Mayu-Tata and Amaru-Mayo, or " Snake River." 



About the beginning of the fifteenth century the Inca Yupanqui descended this 

 river at the head of 10,000 men to reduce the wild tribes along its banks. He 

 had to return after losing nine-tenths of his troops, but must have ascertained the 

 true course of the stream beyond the point actually reached by the expedition. 

 Thus is explained the fact that Garcilaso de la Vega, heir of the science of the 

 Incas, was aware that the Madre de Dios joined the Beni. Yet the normal direc- 



Fig. 140. — Basin of the Madre de Dios. 

 Scale 1 : 10,000,000. 



West or breenw en 



Supposed course of the Madve de Dios before the late discoveries. 



— 186 Miles 



tion of its valley would seem to make such a confluence impossible, and most 

 geographers long continued to regard the Madre de Dios as the chief branch of the 

 Rio Purus, which flows directly to the Amazons. 



The question was at last settled by Faustino Maldonado and his seven brave 

 young associates, who committed themselves to the current of the Inambari on a 

 frail raft. After overcoming difliculties of all kinds, especially on the part of the 

 savage tribes roaming the riverine tracts, they entered the Madre de Dios, passing 

 thence down the Beni to the Madeira, where Maldonado, with three of his comrades, 

 perished in the rapids. The rest of the party succeeded in reaching Manaos, where 

 they reported the discovery. Their report, however, was discredited till confirmed 



