Sekpa. 249 



CHAPTER XVII. 



Down the Amazon. — Serpa. — Villa Nova. — Obidos. — Santarem. — A Colony 

 of Southerners. — Monte AMgre. — Porto do Moz. — Leaving the Amazon. 

 — -Breves. — Para River. — The City of Para. — Legislation and Currency. 

 — Religion and Education. — Nonpareil Climate. 



At 10 P.M. we left Mauaos in the " Tapajos," an iron 

 steamer of seven hundred tons. We missed the snow- 

 white cleanhness and rigid regularity of the " Icamiaba," 

 and Captain Jose Antunes Rodrigues de Oliveira Catram- 

 by was quite a contrast to Lieutenant Nuno. There were 

 only five first-class passengers besides ourselves (and four 

 of these were " dead-heads"), though there were accommo- 

 dations for sixty-four. Between Manaos and Para, a dis- 

 tance of one thousand miles, there were fourteen additions. 

 Passing the mouth of the Madeira, the largest tributary to 

 the Amazon, we anchored thirty miles below at Serpa, aft- 

 er nine hours' sailing. Serpa is a village of ninety houses, 

 built on a high bank of variegated clay, whence its Indian 

 name, Ita-coatiara, or painted rock. It was the most ani- 

 mated place we had seen on the river. The town is irreg- 

 ularly laid out and overrun with weeds, but there is a busy 

 tile factory, and the port was full of canoes, montarias, and 

 cubertas. The African element in the population began to 

 show itself prominently here, and increased in importance 

 as we neared Para. The ISTegroes are ^"ery ebony, and are 

 employed as stevedores. The Indians are well-featured, 

 and wear a long gown of bark-cloth reaching to the knees. 



Taking on board rubber and salt fish, the " Tapajos" 

 steamed down stream, passing the perpendicular pink-clay 



