200 Through the Brazilian Wilderness 



reached by light steamboat up the Sepotuba and by a day 

 or two's automobile ride, with a couple of days on horse- 

 back in between. 



The colonel held a very serious council with the 

 Parecis Indians over an incident which caused him grave 

 concern. One of the commission's employees, a negro, 

 had killed a wild Nhambiquara Indian; but it appeared 

 that he had really been urged on and aided by the 

 Parecis, as the members of the tribe to which the dead 

 Indian belonged were much given to carrying off the 

 Parecis women and in other ways making themselves 

 bad neighbors. The colonel tried hard to get at the 

 truth of the matter ; he went to the biggest Indian house, 

 where he sat in a hammock — ^an Indian child cuddling 

 solemnly up to him, by the way — ^while the Indians sat 

 in other hammocks, and stood round about; but it was 

 impossible to get an absolutely frank statement. 



It appeared, however, that the Nhambiquaras had 

 made a descent on the Parecis village in the momentary 

 absence of the men of the village ; but the latter, notified 

 by the screaming of the women, had returned in time to 

 rescue them. The negro was with them and, having a 

 good rifle, he killed one of the aggressors. The Parecis 

 were, of course, in the right, but the colonel could not 

 afford to have his men take sides in a tribal quarrel. 



It was only a two hours' march across to the Papa- 

 gaio at the Falls of Utiarity, so named by their dis- 

 coverer, Colonel Rondon, after the sacred falcon of the 

 Parecis. On the way we passed our Indian friends, 

 themselves bound thither; both the men and the women 

 bore burdens — the burdens of some of the women, poor 



